When Things Happen To Change
by Ducky2196
Summary: A story of falling in love - Gabby and Matt meet under different circumstances, a friendship and a love grows between them but not without some hurdles in their way. Can they come out of it together? Multi-chapter/totally AU. Dawsey, Kelly/Casey friendship Dawson Siblings. Rated T, probably go up at some stage though
1. Blinding Light

**Alright guys! Here is my new story! I promise it's much happier than** _ **This Is What You Get**_ **and if you haven't read that one yet…please do :D hehe just a little self promotion!**

 **I can't guarantee that updates will happen quickly, I am going to be very busy at work but I'll do my best.**

 **This is very much Dawsey…from start to finish so please review! Let me know what you think!**

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 **Chapter 1 – Blinding Lights**

Gabby groaned as she dropped herself onto her bed early that morning, it had been a long night, not just with calls but also with dealing with the others in her firehouse. They were childish, misogynistic, egoistical and all around dicks. She hated being there and wished with everything she had to find a transfer but no matter what she did, everywhere she looked, no firehouse in the city of Chicago was looking for a new PIC.

Firehouse 105, Austin, was the typical old boys club, they didn't like new comers and they especially didn't like woman on the job, medics or otherwise and being that she was the only woman in the firehouse, she copped most of the brunt of the jokes, sideways glances or the flat out rude comments. She could look after herself, Gabriella Dawson was the last person you wanted to fuck with but it was exhausting, putting up with their shit. She hated it but it was job and she liked her job.

Her partner, Andrews, was an all right guy, when it was just the two of them, he was great, funny, easy to get a long with but when he was in the house, which was most of the time because lets face it, Austin was not a very busy house, he was just like the others, laughing at their comments, snickering when she was around.

She spent much of her time on her own while in the firehouse, something she didn't really mind about; she had her laptop or her phone, she would read a book or just spend some time resting. But it was getting exhausting, being alone for log periods of time was not fun and when she felt as though she wanted to be close to the people around her, she couldn't, the conversations would quieten down when she walked into the room or just stop all together. She would just end up rolling her eyes and moving to the ambo to 'clean up' or the gym, just to keep herself busy while on shift.

So to say she was tired was very much an understatement but she was home and ready for bed and happy to have the next two weeks as leave, she had deserved it and had actually demanded it. She needed a rest, she needed to spend time with her niece and nephew, she needed to have some time to herself, she needed to relax.

And relax she would, she had planned on doing nothing over the next few days, maybe get a massage and get her nails done but other than that, she was going to sit on the couch, in track pants and do _nothing_.

She could not wait.

Gabby sighed as she let her muscles relax against the mattress, rolling over she looked at the empty side of her bed, sighing once more. It sucked that it was empty, she really didn't like it but it was and there was nothing she could do about it. But she wanted to so badly to wrap her arms around the person laying next to her, hold them tightly and never let go but instead she had a pillow to hold and an image in her mind.

But she would sleep off the sadness and wake up later that afternoon ready for the days that were waiting for her, nothing planned, quiet nights and sleep, all the sleep she could want.

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Matt smiled as he looked down at his sleeping niece, her long mop of blonde hair splayed out over his legs, snoring lightly. She had fallen asleep half way through the movie, constantly saying she wasn't tired but that was clearly a lie, she was just trying to get more out of her Uncle Matt than what was agreed, to stay up later than her usual bedtime, and to say that Matt had folded easily was far from the truth, he had crumbled like a sandcastle being washed away by a wave.

He had jumped at the opportunity to babysit Violet when his sister had called early that morning as he was finishing up shift, happy that she had thought of him, happy that he would be home to look after her, happy to be spending some time with the girl that he didn't see very often.

So he was willing to give her whatever she asked for; it was their secret.

His house had become quiet, Hallie had moved out almost 9 months ago, their differences getting the best of them, he wanted kids, it was that simple and she didn't. It was something that he wasn't going to compromise on, she had compromised on a lot in their relationship but that was one thing that wasn't up for discussion. And so she had packed her things, moved out and left him with a quiet house and a hole in his heart.

Did he love Hallie?

Part of him probably always love her, they were going to get married, she was his first real, serious girlfriend, they had been together for almost 8 years, of course part of him still loved her but when he sat their and really thought about it, he knew what he wanted and that was a girl how had things in common with him, who could laugh with him and joke, who wanted the same things with him.

And she was not that girl for him, they had always had fun together but he wanted more than fun now.

"Uncle Matt?" Violet's sleepy voice pulled him from his thoughts, looking down he found her staring up at him, her eyes tired.

Matt smiled, "You ready for bed kiddo? I know I am…" He was tried, he wanted to sleep, but if she wanted to stay up, he would stay up a little longer. He was pretty sure she mumbled something about bed and so he lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her to the spare room, where she curled into a tight ball and was asleep before he had even left the room.

Matt smiled as he moved towards his own room, he loved having Violet in the house; it made it seem less large; less quiet and as he laid his own body down on his bed he sighed, he was lonely, he wouldn't deny that to himself but as far as anyone knew, barring his best friend Kelly Severide, he was happy in his life. Which he was, he had a great job that he loved and a family that he loved, a home and close friends but he wanted someone to spend his days with.

Matt wanted someone he could come home to, someone he could look forward to walking through their door after a day at work, someone he could curl up with on the couch, to hold in his arms, to kiss…someone to love.

Sighing, Matt curled over into the side of the bed, his arms wrapped around the pillow at his side, letting his mind slip into a sleep filled with bright eyes, a smile and a laugh that he could have easily fallen in love with.

Casey blinked through darkness, sparks of light flaring every now and then, lighting his way as he searched through what he really hoped was an empty apartment building. It was early morning, around 4am when they had gotten the call, throwing them all out of their beds and rushing towards the scene, not really know what they would find, how bad or how crazy. And as truck 81 pulled up, Ambo 61 and Squad 3 behind them, they could tell this wasn't going to be an easy one. The building was fully involved, smoke pouring from the windows, flames licking the bricks as it looked for any form of oxygen possible.

"Everyone is accounted for except one girl! I saw her come home last night but I don't know where she is now! She is room 305!" one of the people living in the building called out to Boden, frantic that the woman had not been with the rest of the group. Boden had looked towards Casey, a silent order for a quick search, sending him and Hermann inside, while Otis and Cruz dealt with the back of the building, starting their search there.

And that was how Matt and Hermann found themselves thumping their way up three flights of stairs, hoping that looking for this girl wouldn't end in disaster. "Hermann! Door is locked, open it!" Casey called out to Hermann, watching as he lined up, ramming his foot against the door, watching it explode off its hinges.

Low and slow, Casey and Hermann made their way into the apartment, hoping that it would be an easy find, but she wasn't there, "Gonna check the other room lieutenant!" Hermann called out, Casey sending him a nod, heading in the direction of the bedroom.

As he crouched lower, Casey could feel the heat on the back of his neck, it was getting bad very quickly in that apartment and if they didn't hurry up, things would only get worse. "Fire Department! Call Out!" He waited, a fleeting hope that she would be awake enough to respond, but with the heat of the fire and thickness of the smoke, he knew that it wasn't likely.

Move around he check all the common places that people hide, a thought running through the back of his mind that when people are in the situations, that they still hide, not run. He checked the corner, check the closet but came up empty, but something deep inside of him was telling him that she was there, he was in the right place; he just had to keep looking. "Came up empty Casey!" Hermann was now behind him, calling out as loud as he could.

"Copy!" Casey turned on his heels; something by the window caught his eyes, a hand, outstretched on the windowsill. He had found her; she was so close to him, "Got her!" He rushed over to the girl's side, her body lying awkwardly on the floor, her hand still by the window, as though she was trying to reach for the latch but had been overtaken by the smoke. "Got her chief! We are coming out! Get the medics ready!" Casey called into his radio, his arms encircling around the girl as though she was weightless, "I got her Hermann, let's go!"

And with her in his arms, both men rushed from the building, hearing the walls creak and the structure struggling to hold up anymore. With one foot in front of the other, Hermann and Casey found themselves already by the bottom level of the building, the girl in Casey's arms moving a little, consciousness coming back to her as they moved, he felt her hand grip tightly at his jacket, clearly she was scared, it reaction most people had if he was carrying them out of a fire.

As they reached the outside of the building, Shay and Brett were already waiting for him, their gurney waiting for the girl to be placed down. Slowly Casey placed her down on the white mattress, feeling her untangle from his grip as he did so, his free hand now able to throw off his mask. There he took a good look at the girl, Shay moving around her, assessing her before moving.

She was young, a few years younger than him, dark brown hair that even though was covered in soot and ash and sweat, framed her face well. He skin dark, even in the darkness of the morning he could tell she had dark her. Above her eye was a deep gash, dried blood already forming around it, it looked angry and painful.

Casey took in her dress, part of him not able to stop himself from looking over her, wanting to see for himself that she was actually all right. Her sleep attire allowed him to do so, the t-shirt she wore would only sit high around her thighs when standing and so while she lay on the gurney, knees bent, it barely covered any of her body, but from there he could tell that there wasn't much of a scratch on her, other than on her head.

Slowly he heard her groan, his eyes rocketing up to her face once again, Shay whispering calming words to the girl as her eyes fluttered open, fear taking over instantly as she looked around, unsure of what had happened and how she had gotten there. She gave a sharp intake of breath, her hand moving directly to her forehead, but Shay stopped her, "It's alright hon, you're gonna be fine. We are going to get you checked out."

As the girl focused on Shay, she blinked, as though she was trying to process what she had just said. "You were in a fire, the guys pulled you out, you're gonna be ok." At that sentence the girl looked around again, this time her fearful eyes focussing on Casey, she found him standing at her side, his hands on the gurney, ready to help Shay if it was needed.

Then it happened in an instant, the girl reached for Matt; her hand tightening around the forearm of his jacket, fear washing over face as she did so. "You're ok, the girls are going to take you to the hospital, you're gonna be fine…" Casey spoke softly to her, hoping that he could reassure her as much as possible. Slowly he pulled his arm from her grip, instead reaching for her hand in his, holding on tightly as Shay finished up her assessments, Casey's eyes never leaving the girls.

"Alright, let's get her into the ambo." Brett spoke quickly, she was stable, she was fine but they wanted to get her head checked out to be sure. As they started to move the gurney towards the back of the ambo, Casey's arm outstretched, the girls hand still in his as he did so, she was holding onto him, she was holding on to him so tightly that he actually hated to let go. But as they got further from each other, their hands separated and Casey watched her being loaded into the back of the ambo, her hand now wiping away the tears that he had assumed had started to fall.

Casey stood there for a few moments, trying to understand what had just happened; it wasn't the first time someone had become attacked to him after being pulled from a fire, most of the time it was kids who wouldn't let go but the girl seemed so scared that she needed him. He didn't mind though, people reacted different ways after being in the situation she had been in, he just hoped that he had given her some sense of peace as she lay on that gurney, but now he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Her face, her eyes, her body; and as he continued to go about his job while on that call, that girl sat in the back of his mind, her eyes burned into his brain, the memory of how she looked at him and also just how she looked. She was beautiful, even after being stuck in that fire, he could tell she was beautiful, but he had to get her out of his mind, he had to stop thinking about her. He figured once he left that scene, wrote up his report, and left for the day, she would be a distant memory, a girl he saved, a girl who was thankful for him saving his life, a girl he would never see again.

Oh how wrong he had been; Matt wasn't going to have time to get back to sleep once they finished up at the call, it was most close to 7am, shift finished at 9, and they were headed back to the house. Most of his men complaining about being hungry, some talking about how long of a sleep they were going to have when they got off shift and home. But all Matt could think of was having a shower, writing up his report and closing his eyes.

He hadn't been sleeping well recently, his mind running over all the things that he could have done to save his relationship with Hallie, thinking if it was even worth saving. Sure he loved her; he loved her so much but she was essentially asking him to give up the one thing he truly wanted in his life and that was kids. He wanted to be a father, he wanted to have a family with the woman that he loved and Hallie had flat out said she didn't want kids.

Now had she mentioned that 6 years ago, he may not have been so quick to continue a relationship with her, or maybe he would have and he would have just hoped that she would change her mind, people grow up and change all the time. But it was clear, after he had delivered the baby during the highway accident, after he had told her how amazing it was and how happy it had made him, that she hadn't changed her mind, she still didn't want to have kids.

He loved his niece, Violet was his world, he wanted what Christie had, he wanted that family and he took every chance he could to look after her, days and nights, he just wanted to be around her, he made her happy. Today marked 7 days since he had babysat her last, yes he counted the days between until he saw her again. Violet helped to cement his thoughts of wanting his own children, his own family, his own life.

And just like that, his whole world came crashing down on him, everything he hoped for, everything that he wanted with her was gone. He now had to start again and he was 30…it's not like it was easy to find someone to fall in love with and have a family with. He sighed, rolling back his neck as he let the pain slip away, his mind trying to focus on the report he was supposed to be writing, instead his mind slipped the to the girl he had pulled from the fire.

There was something about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, he never really gave a second thought to victims in calls, it was better that way or else you start to drown, you lose focus and he couldn't allow himself to do that, he couldn't lose focus on the job or his men, but this girl, he was losing his focus and it was because of her.

It was now almost 9, he needed to make a move or else he would be stuck there for another few hours, finishing off the report he wasn't able to finish. That girl was still on his mind, she was just there, he could see her face, see the fear in her eyes as she looked at him, the soft touch of her hand in his as she held it tightly. He could go to the hospital to see her. _No_ , he can't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He ended up driving to the hospital to see her.

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 **Ok so this is the first chapter…not very long but I am hoping that they will get longer as I go. Please let me know thoughts on this, I'm very hesitant as it's the first chapter.**


	2. Holding On Tightly

**Oh wow, you guys! 20 reviews and the love I got from twitter!? You are all so amazing! I am so glad you guys enjoyed the first chapter and I am excited to get this up and going for you all.**

 **Like I said I can't guarantee timely updates right now because I am so busy at work but I am doing my best to get these written and posted.**

 **I apologise if the Spanish in this is wrong, I used translate so I can only assume that it makes sense.**

 **Please, please, please review**

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 **Chapter 2 –** **Holding On Tightly**

Gabby groaned as she looked over at the blank bare wall by her side, the annoying beeping of the hospital machines had continued, she didn't need to know she was alive, she knew she was alive but the nurses and doctors had told her needed to keep the oxygen flowing through the tank and the heart rate monitor on her finger. But that didn't mean that it wasn't annoying beyond all belief.

Dropping herself back against the bed, she sighed, the doctors had told her that they wanted to keep her in for a few nights just to make sure her oxygen levels stayed high enough. They were keeping her on the oxygen tank, her voice still rough from the coughing that had been happening when she was brought in, but she was better, alive, thankful to the people who had saved her life.

The eyes, she remembered the eyes of the person who was looking down at her, worry on his face as he held her gaze, but she couldn't remember much else, just his eyes.

Gabby a head snapped up when she heard the soft hesitant knocking on her room door, however when no one entered, which most doctors of nurses usually would, she called out a come in, expecting to see a nurse or a doctor but instead she found herself face to face with someone she didn't recognise, except his eyes, those she would recognise anywhere. Smiling nervously, Gabby spoke, "Hi."

In return Matt sent her a shy smile, clearly he was second-guessing himself about being there, he stood just inside the doorway, hands at his side, "Hey um...my name is Matt and I was the fire fighter, the lieutenant, who pulled you out of the apartment...I just wanted to come and see how you were..." Clearly he was nervous, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, trying to distract himself from feeling like an idiot for turning up.

But as Gabby laughed gently, his brow creased, "Right, now I can finally put a name to the face I remember..." This made him sigh happily after a moment, she wasn't upset that he was there; in fact she looked happy to see him. "Thanks for saving my life..."

Now he laughed, moving further into the room, intending on taking a seat by the bed, finding it filled with bags and so he moved to the side of her bed, taking s seat when she moved her feet for him, both feeling a sense of calm around the other. "I'm glad to see you are up..."

"Gabby...my name is Gabby Dawson…" She smoothed out the blanket over her legs, silence coming over them both for a moment, neither really knowing what to say. Sure it was a good idea for Matt to check on her, and Gabby was glad to finally meet him, but what do you say to each other now?

Clearing his throat Matt spoke, "You were pretty smart to get to the window..." he was impressed. Most people head towards the door but she knew that the window was the safest option and the smartest if she wanted to get out alive. He smiled back at her, finally taking her in, her dark skin, bright eyes, wide smile - she was beautiful.

Gabby laughed; he was cute, "Yeah well I would have like to think I have learned something after working in a firehouse for the last 6 years..." Her smile grew wider when his brow furrowed in confusion, he really was cute. "I'm a PIC out at 105." She watched as realization took over his features.

Then his smile grew, that explained so much. "Right! Yeah ok..." Then he thought for a moment, 105...Welch...nah that couldn't be right, if she was on the same shift as Welch she would have been on call not at home.

Gabby become worried for a moment, he had fallen into silence a look coming over his face which she couldn't read, "What?" She mumbled, fear seeping into her voice that maybe she had ruined their nice little chat with the mention of her being on the job. When he didn't reply at first Gabby pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, he was really starting to worry her now.

But Matt seemed to snap out of his deep thought just as quickly as he had fallen into it, "Sorry, I was just thinking..." Matt cleared his throat, leaning forward slightly, "So you got any family or…" He was trying to get to know her a little more, or at least get off the subject of the 105 firehouse. But Matt didn't get a chance to answer when the hospital door swung open, banging hard against the side wall, causing both Matt and Gabby to jump.

"Mi amor. Como estas? Estás bien?" Matt watched as the man, slightly shorter than himself, dark hair, dark skin, almost ran to Gabby's side, this hands going straight to her side, his hands going to her face, looking her right in the eyes before he dropped his forehead to hers, "Gracias a Dios que estás bien. Estaba tan preocupada por ti..."

Matt smiled to himself lightly, it was clear that she had family, this man was her brother, he knew that, he should have recognised the resemblance the moment she opened her eyes to him, he knew that face, she looked like Antonio, but this…right now…was something for between the two of them, this was for her family.

And so Matt moved slowly towards the door, glancing back behind him once more, smiling to himself as he saw Gabby smiling at her brother, thankful that she had him and that right now, she looked happy. She did have a beautiful smile. Dropping his head, Matt moved from the room, letting the door close slowly behind him, not wanting to disturb the two siblings.

Matt sighed deeply. Antonio Dawson. No _Detective_ Antonio Dawson. He really should have seen it, she looked like him, enough that you could tell they were siblings. He'd worked with Antonio a few times; they had gotten to know each other fairly well, with District 21 their local police station, but also at Molly's. Antonio and the people that he worked with would visit Molly's on a regular basis, as would the fire fighter's of 51 and so they had become close friends. But Matt had felt something when he had held Gabby's hand, he just didn't know what that was all about.

He'd gotten along well with Antonio, both having beers at Molly's on a regular basis, they had become friends and now Matt couldn't stop thinking about his baby sister. He sighed, thankful that she was going to be ok, thankful that he had gotten to her in time and actually thankful that he had decided to open that hospital door half an hour ago. He had been so hesitant to knock on that door, unsure of what it would bring but he was happy that he had.

As he dropped his head, Matt slipped his phone from his pocket, getting a text from Kelly, he replied before he looked up, almost bumping into the person standing in front of him, "Oh I'm sorry…" As he looked up he was shocked, Hallie stood before him, "Hallie?" He swallowed, she was as beautiful as he remembered, some things never change though.

A bright smile came to her face, "Matt. Hi," It was clear that she was happy to see him; he just wasn't sure about seeing her. "None of your guys are here are they?" She got worried for a moment, seeing Matt visiting the hospital made her instantly think that someone from the firehouse had been injured.

But he stopped her, "No, no. Just visiting someone who was brought in this earlier this morning…" He suddenly didn't want to tell her that he was there to see Gabby, he felt awkward.

But she knew, "Dawson right? Some of the nurses told me that she was brought in from a fire, I should have known it was you being the hero and saving her life," Hallie smiled, tipping her head to the side like she always did when she would flirt with him. He couldn't help but smile, "Good job Matt, you got to her just in time." She reached out and touched his arm, the memories of her coming straight back to him.

Matt blinked, trying to hold himself together, he missed being near her, or he missed what a relationship was to him, he wasn't too sure what it was but there was something there. "Just doing my job really. She is the sister of a detective I know, so I just wanted to check up on her." He lied, the words slipping from his mouth before he could stop them. He shouldn't have to explain himself, he shouldn't have to feel as though she deserved an explanation, they weren't together anymore, what did it matter?

He shrugged, against her hand, smiling back at her, "How are you Hallie? You look good…" This wasn't a lie, she did look good. "I didn't know you were back here?" the last time he had spoken to her, Hallie was working at a doctors office on the other side of the city but now she was here, at Chicago Med.

Taking a step back, Hallie leaned up against the nurse's desk, "Yeah, I'm doing a few days there still but I'm here mostly now, couldn't resist the rush of the ER…" She smiled back at him, about to speak again when her name was paged over the PA. "I gotta go…but we should catch up…if you're free…" She waited for a moment, wondering what Matt would say and as if she expected, he nodded, agreeing to coffee when they both had a chance, before she moved from him, letting him leave the hospital

Unlocking his truck door, Matt sat down for a moment, so much had happened in the last 10 minutes that he really didn't know what to think. Seeing Hallie had brought up so many feelings that he hadn't felt in a long time but in the back of his mind, he knew they were apart for a reason, but he missed her…or he missed how she used to make him feel.

Then there was the smile that Gabby had given him, the warm, thankful smile that she had given him, genuine and caring, he couldn't get her bright eyes out of his mind, there was something about her. Sighing, Matt dropped his head, he was so confused with his own emotions, he hated not being in control of his own feelings.

There were calls where he couldn't get the victim out of his head because it had been a bad call, the victim was child or that didn't make it but this was different. He had saved her life, saved the sister of his friend, if for nothing else, she was alive and he was the reason for that.

* * *

Gabby sighed against Antonio, her hands tightening around his shoulders, needing to know that he was really there, that she was ok and that she was alive. "Oh Tonio, I'm alright. I promise…" she let out a deep breath, she really was ok.

Antonio pulled back, his eyes looking over her face, taking in all of her face, there was no bruising, no scratches, no marks that he could see, but she was still on oxygen but he _needed_ to know that she was going to be alright. "Are you sure? What did the doctor say?" He couldn't keep his hands off his sister, he needed to feel that she was really was there.

Gabby pushed his hands away from her face, tired of having him pawing at her, "You didn't have to come Antonio. Really, the doctor said I can go home in a few days, they just want to make sure my breathing settles and I don't have any scarring from the smoke. They say the fire fighter who carried me out got to me just in time..." It was a scary thought though, thinking that had Matt not come into the room when he did, had his truck had to slow down at one more light or intersection, which caused him to not find her when he did, she may not have made it. She swallowed at that thought but decided not to dwell on it. She was alive and that was all that mattered.

Antonio sighed; he had been terrified when he had gotten the call from Platt, after being stuck at an undercover call during the day. To hear that his sister had been in a fire and in hospital and he wasn't by her side, it scared him. "I know, I know. And you are staying with us until you get back on your feet ok...ill have a chat to CFD to see if there is any way of getting any of your stuff." Gabby hadn't really thought about her apartment...was everything gone? All her clothes? Photos? Laptop? Phone? Would she now have to replace everything?

Antonio understood the realisation on her face as he said this, she was thinking about her things, she wasn't much of a material person but when you lose everything in a fire, you sudden realise how much of your things actually meant something to you. He nodded to her, telling her he understood what she was thinking and that it was all going to be ok, he would make sure of that.

Gabby cleared her throat, "You know I as having a nice conversation before you stormed in here..." Gabby had to laugh; she needed something to laugh at right now.

Antonio turned his head, not finding anyone else in the room; he gave her a confused look. She laughed again, "A lieutenant Matt Casey was here, just before you got here actually...apparently he was the one that carried me out." She watched as Antonio blinked at her, he knew Matt, Gabby could tell that much but how well he knew Matt, she didn't know. Had he missed him? Had he really just ran straight passed the man who saved his sister's life?

He leaned forward, placing a kiss on her forehead as he did so, "I am so glad that you are ok, I don't think I could handle you pain in the ass not being around." This got a laugh out of her, a wide smile and a sigh, she was going to be ok, he was going to make sure of it.

* * *

Antonio spent the rest of the day with gabby, Laura and the kids had come by, the laughed and talked, all avoiding the subject of Gabby's old apartment, choosing instead to talk about the kids school and work and what they planned on doing when Gabby got out of hospital.

But now Antonio found himself standing in front of that old wooden door that he knew too well, the same on that looked exactly like the one in the photo of his grandparents back in the Dominican Republic, the one he knew, that when Gabby saw it, she would fall in love with it. That's what he loved about his sister most, she wasn't materialistic, she loved the simple things, like this door.

Pushing it open slowly, Antonio was greeted by the loud, boisterous sounds of Molly's Bar, fire fighters, paramedics, cops and the public all enjoying their time off, thankful to be alive after a day on shift, some with stories of crazy saves, boring desk work other just happy to listen. He had to smile lightly, he had spent many nights here after a long hard day, laughing with his team or having a drink with the fire fighters of 51, it was like a second home that was clearly the point as well.

He spotted Matt fairly easily, sitting next to Kelly Severide and Sylvie Brett, beer in his hand but clearly what they had been talking about had taken over because he didn't seem as though he was really interested in it at all. As Antonio walked further into the bar, he was greeted by those he knew, Hermann and Otis at the bar, a few of his fellow officers in one corner but he moved towards matt, needing too see him.

As he approached, he watched as matt looked up at him, standing slowly he waited for Antonio to speak, the first words out of his mouth were a thank you. "Casey man, thank you so much..." He embraced matt, so thankful to the man who and saved his sister.

Matt just patted Antonio on the back, he had always talked about Gabby, never by name but it was clear how close they were. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad she is going to be ok." Matt moved back to his seat, Antonio taking the one next to him. It wasn't lost on Matt that Kelly and Brett looked a little confused, both knowing Antonio quite well as well. After taking another swig of his beer, matt smiled, "The girl I pulled from the call this morning, was his sister, Gabby."

Both nodded, understanding the gravity of what had happened at that call. "Ah, how is she doing?" Brett smiled, she had dropped gabby off at the hospital before heading back towards the firehouse, she had been curious about how the girl was doing, she had seen how she had reached for matt before being taken away,

Antonio smiled, "She's doing well thanks. The doc said she was going to be released in a couple of days, they just wanted to make sure she doesn't have any scarring on her lungs but they said she should be fine." Antonio turned back to Matt, "She said you came to see her today, sorry, I think I walked straight past you Casey." Antonio laughed, he couldn't believe that had ran straight past matt in that room but he was intent on only finding Gabby.

Silence came over the table for a moment, Kelly sending a raised eyebrow towards Matt but nothing was said until matt cleared his throat, "No problem Antonio, just wanted to make sure she was doing ok. She was pretty freaked this morning." He looked down at his beer, the air around the table changing instantly, but nothing was said about it, Antonio choosing to ignore the glances.

They chatted for a little longer; Antonio relaxing a little with the knowledge that Gabby was going to be ok but there was something that he wanted to ask Matt, "Hey man…I know that you have done more than enough to help Gabby out…" He looked over at Kelly as well, knowing that this would possibly be something he could help with. "Are you able to get into the apartment building at the moment?"

Matt nodded, looking over to Kelly who nodded as well, "Yeah, I'm sure we can get in. Is there something you were after?" Kelly was curious, he doubted there would be anything to salvage from the apartment but they would look, for the sister of one of their own, actually for one of their own, she was a medic with the CFD after all.

"Well I guess anything you can get your hands on but there she keeps a little box in the back of her cupboard, mostly just little things inside it but the box belonged to our mum, our father gave it to her when she turned 18, Gabby never goes anywhere without it. If it's still there, it would mean the world to her." Matt nodded, it wasn't a big ask, but part of him wanted to jump at the opportunity to see her smile again.

"Yeah no problem, we will see what we can do." Matt wanted to make sure that he used the 'we' instead of 'I', he didn't want to make his unsure emotions visible to everyone, he was pretty sure that Kelly was already cluing onto the what was going on inside. But Kelly, thankfully, just nodded, the smirk he was wearing though would be one of a discussion that would be happening very soon.

With one last nod and a thank you, Antonio moved from the table, needing to head home to his family, he thanked Matt once more, leaving the two men on their own, as Brett had already moved away, needing another drink.

Once Matt and Kelly were alone, Kelly leaned over the table, trying to make eye contact with Matt, "Hey…you went to the hospital today?" It wasn't uncommon for fire fighters and paramedics to have a find a connection with the people that they save or treat, most of the time they need to fight to move on from those connections, not get caught up in worrying about them because they _needed_ to move on, they needed to be able to keep a level head while on shift and so they had to move on from each call.

But there would always be a few calls, a few victims, that would stay with them, most of the time it would be children, the pain of seeing a family in so much pain because something terrible had happened to someone so young but occasionally there would be someone, an adult, who sticks with you. And it was clear that this girl, was someone who had stuck with Matt. "You alright man?"

He was still trying to get Matt's attention, watching as his head snapped up suddenly, clearly lost in his own thoughts. "Yeah, yeah I'm alright. You wanna go tomorrow to the building? See what we can find?" Kelly raised his eyebrow at Matt again, but didn't say anything, he would bring it up when they weren't surrounded by people who could hear them talking, he hadn't seen Matt looking so far off in a long time and he wanted to be able to actually have this conversation with him.

Taking a swig of his beer, he nodded, "Yeah, yeah alright." And that was that, nothing else was spoken about it for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **I hope this isn't too slow for you all, please let me know! :D**


	3. The Things You Do For Me

**So, lets just take a minute to talk about the last episode, I truly believe it was one of the best episodes, even though I should be devastated (I am) but I honestly feel that only good things can come from this for Dawsey. Jesse and Monica KILLED it in the episode and I for one cant wait to see what they bring to Dawsey now. I have faith they will be stronger because of this and it will be AMAZING!**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you are amazing!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – The Things You Do For Me**

Kelly glanced over at Matt as they moved slowly around the apartment, making sure to step carefully, the apartment building had been cleared by the arson team but they still wanted to make sure that something wasn't going to give way under their feet. Matt looked very sure about what he was doing, he was focussed and that intrigued Kelly, enough for him to call Matt on it, "SO what's going with you man? This girl seems to have gotten under your skin…" He knew it was a touchy subject for Matt but he wanted to know what was going on with his best friend.

Suddenly Matt stiffened, not expecting Kelly to call him out on his feelings although he shouldn't have expected it, it wasn't like Kelly to sit back when he wanted information. But Matt was smarter than that, or he was being more evasive than Kelly was expecting. Matt knew that Kelly wasn't going to give up as easily as he had hoped so he went in a different direction, "I bumped into Hallie the other day…"

This stopped Kelly, his back straightening, mouth open, that was not what he expected from Matt. He remembered how deep of a whole Matt was in when he and Hallie broke up, the realisation that the person that he loved, with all his heart wouldn't be able to give him the one thing that he truly wanted with her, a family. Matt had put up walls after the break up, pretending that he was alright but Kelly knew better, he could see the way that Matt looked at families when they were out, the small smile and then the sadness in his eyes.

Hallie had hurt him, sure the break up was mutual but they had been together for a long time and to suddenly find out that what you thought was going to happen wasn't going to happen anymore. "Wow…how was that?" He was testing the water, seeing how much Matt was going to give up but he wasn't going to forget about Gabby either.

Matt moved further into the bedroom, heading straight for the closet where Antonio had told him to look, "It was…ah…I don't actually know. I mean, we only talked for a few minutes but we are probably going to catch up for some coffee soon…" He still had his back to Kelly but Matt knew him better, he didn't need to be looking at him to see the look on his face. "What is it Kelly?" Now he did turn, flashlight in his hand, arms crossed over his shoulder, staring back at the exact face he expected to see staring back at him.

Kelly was shocked, he never thought Matt would agree to have coffee with her. "I just…what is going to coffee going to achieve?"

Matt sighed, he knew Kelly was right, but then again, maybe things would be different. "Can we please just get this done?" Matt didn't want to talk about it anymore; he wanted to get what he came for and go. Turning back towards the closet, Matt knelt down, pushing away some of the remnants of clothes that had fall to the floor, there wasn't much that could be salvaged but he hoped that he could give Gabby something.

He found what he was looking for moments later; the box was small, pushed right in the back of the closet, in the corner, where unless you were looking for it, it wouldn't have been found. "Got it!" He called out, slipping the box from it's hiding spot. It really wasn't very big but it looked old, dark wood and heavy, it was much heavier than he was expecting but he had it and that's all that mattered.

Turning around he found Kelly still standing where he had been moments ago, hands at his side, clearly his mind only focussed on their previous conversation to care about what Matt had found. He just shook his head at Matt, turning on his heals and heading back out the door, they couldn't stay long so they had to get what they came for and go.

As they made their way back outside, Kelly huffed, "You know, I'm just going to say this, so it's out there and you know, you and Hallie, wasn't going to last, you know that, she knows that, you wanted different things. And if you honestly think that that is going to be different this time around, I think you need to think really hard about it. And don't stand there and tell me that it's just coffee because I know you and it's Hallie we are talking about. I just want you to be sure of what you do from here on out, because I don't want to see you hurt like before…"

Kelly turned his back on Matt, walking towards his own car, leaving Matt on his own, box in his hands and sadness in his eyes. He knew Kelly was right, it was just hard accepting it but as Matt looked down at the box in his hands, something else tugged at him, the memory of the girl he was there for, her smile, her eyes, the way she had looked at him when they spoke. Gabby was someone he wanted to get to know, he wanted to get to know as much about he as possible but then there was Hallie.

God!

Why did he feel so confused right now? How could he make sense of things in his life when he couldn't even make sense of his feelings for two different people, one that he would probably always love, a small part of him would always belong to her but then there was this new girl, the one he had been, until he met Hallie, completely hooked on. Her smile, her eyes, her genuine personality, she held something that had caught him off guard, something that he was intent on keeping hold of.

He just had to work out his own feelings before running head first into one thing or another.

* * *

Gabby sighed as she rolled her head back onto the side of the couch. She was home, well she was out of the hospital and she had now moved in with Antonio and Laura and the kids and so far it was fine. This was her third day out of hospital, her voice was still a little raspy and she coughed a little but she was out and she was happy. "Hey Gabs, you sure you don't want us to stay home? We are happy to order in…" Laura called out as she buckled up her necklace.

The family was going out for dinner, something that had been planning since before the fire but Gabby didn't really feel up for heading out, as much as she would love to go out with her family, she really just wanted to sit on the couch and rest, catch on some TV and just rest, she was still quite tired. "No, it's fine really. You guys go, I'm happy to stay on the couch tonight…really…" She smiled, tucking her legs underneath herself, pulling the blanket tighter around her waist.

Laura smiled, "If you're sure. We have ice cream in the freezer if your hungry…" She placed a kiss on Gabby's head, before moving to the door, calling her kids and husband to hurry along, each of them rushing towards the door, kissing Gabby on her way through, calling out a goodbye before the door closed behind them.

Then she was in silence, the TV the only noise echoing through the house. She was happy to have a nice night at home, not having to listen to the beeping or bustling of the hospital, just to relax and be calm. But that didn't last very long, three sharp knocks pulled her from her calm, causing her to groan. She debated not opening the door, thinking that maybe the person would leave but the next three knocks came again and she huffed, "Coming!" She called out, before she shuffled towards the door, swinging it open.

Her breath caught in her throat, she never expected that person to be standing there, staring at her like he had just seen a ghost. She breathed out, her hand shaking sightly against the door, her eyes flickering back and forward over his face. "Nick?" His name slipped from her lips, shock seeping into the sound. He smiled back.

"Gabby…" They stood in the doorway for a moment, each wondering what to say to the other, but it was Nick who spoke first, "Friend of a friend told me you were in hospital after a fire…I came straight here…" _A friend of a friend? He came straight here? What the hell was going on?_ She was clearly too shocked to see him to actually speak. "Can I come in?" He raised his eyebrow in that way she used to love.

Suddenly snapping out of her thoughts, Gabby nodded, "Yeah, yeah come in…" She stepped back from the doorway, letting Nick into the living room. "Please…sit down…" She motioned for him to sit on the couch she had previously taking up residence on. Silence passed between them as they sat by each other, it had been a good four months since they had seen each other but now he was sitting on the couch, next to her and his smell, the smell that would drive her crazy, was filling her nose again. She sighed inwardly, she remembered what his smell used to do to her and it was clear that it still affected her.

"Gabby…" Nick placed his hand on hers, "I am so glad you are alright. When I heard you were in hospital…I freaked out, I came straight back here…I had to make sure you were ok…" He watched as she nodded, turning her hand in his so she could tangle her fingers in his, something they would do all the time.

"Thanks Nick, I appreciate it and I'm alright. Just ah, just getting my head around the thought that I have lost everything ya know… the idea that I have to start again…with everything." Her voice become tight as she looked away, tears coming to here eyes. She was still coming to terms with the thought that she had to go and get everything, to organise her life once again, to buy her clothes and find an apartment that felt her own again. Sitting next to the man who used to know her so well, who she used to love, she felt herself fall apart.

It started with a sniff, trying to stop the sob that slipped from her lips, the quick raise of her hand to swipe of her hand against her cheek, brushing away the tear that she couldn't stop from falling. But that was all it took, all it took for the sharp intake of breath, the shudder of her shoulders as she came undone and for Nick's arms to wrap around her, bringing her towards him, holding her tightly as she cried, a kiss to her forehead, just letting her cry as she needed.

Gabby didn't know how long she cried for, how tightly she held onto him, her hands grasping against his shirt, needed to have him close to her, needing to have someone who she could hold on to. Eventually her tears slowed, but she stayed in his arms, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry…" She sniffed, pulling away from him but she didn't let her go, letting her settle into his side.

Nick laughed, "You have never had to say sorry to me Gabby, you know that…like I said, I'm just glad you are ok…" He settled in beside her against the back of the couch. After a moment, he spoke, "I ah…I have been thinking, I'm gonna stay in Chicago for a while, so I can be here with you…" Now Gabby did look up at him, her eyes wide with shock, they had broken up because he had moved away, wanting her to go with him but she wanted to stay in Chicago, her whole world, her work and her family was there.

"Please Gabby, I want to be here with you; please let me?" She was too tired to argue, too tired to fight against him and it felt so good to be in his arms again. Slowly she nodded; not pulling away as his lips slowly touched his, memories flooding back to her instantly.

* * *

Shay jumped from the back of the ambo, her feet thumping on the floor as she slammed the door. It had been quiet around the firehouse, the guys mostly playing small tricks on each other but it was just to keep their spirits up, something to keep the day from getting boring. But as she walked past the open doors to the garage, she stopped suddenly, finding a young girl standing here, looking very unsure about herself. "Can I help you?" Then it clicked, she knew who the girl was, Shay smiled, "Oh hey! I'm Leslie…Shay, you're Gabby right?" Shay extended her hand, Gabby shaking it with a confused smile.

"Ah yeah I am…"

But Shay smiled, realising that Gabby was confused as to how she knew her name, "We know your brother well. He came past Molly's the night we were in hospital to than Matt. She has talked about you a lot but never by name." Gabby nodded, laughing; she should have expected her brother had something to do with it.

But wait…Antonio had gone to thank Matt…she never knew that, but it made her remember why she was there. "Right, nice to meet you Shay. Speaking of Matt, I was wondering if he was here? I ah…just wanted to have a chat." Shay nodded, inclining her head towards the common room where she knew Matt was.

"Yeah come through…" Shay pushed open the common room doors, revealing to them both laughter and clapping, clearly something was going on. At first Gabby noticed that one man was standing in the middle of the common room, his shirt over his head while another man had his arms around him, they were both fighting, this was something that she wasn't used to seeing. Their firehouse seemed full of life, happiness and friendship.

It didn't take her long to find Matt sitting at the head of the table, his feet up on the edge, face full of a wide smile, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he laughed, everyone almost falling over themselves as they watched the two men trying to fight each other. Gabby had to laugh, she instantly felt at home being in this firehouse, something she never felt in her own. "Casey, you got a visitor…" Shay called out, watching as Matt turned his head, his smile changing to a different one.

When he noticed Gabby standing there he stood instantly, "Hey Gabby…how are you?" He looked so happy to see her. He had been thinking about her the last few days, it had been just under a week since he had seen her in the hospital, glad to see her out and about. Everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing, turning to see the interaction between their lieutenant and the woman standing there.

Gabby smiled, turning to everyone there, knowing that it wasn't just Matt who had saved her life, but she really was there to see him. "Ah I just wanted to thank you all for everything you did for me and the rest of the my building that night. You have no idea how much I appreciate it." She smiled at them all, receiving nods in return as she turned back to Matt, "Do you have a minute?" she nodded her head back towards the garage, hoping he would follow.

Matt smiled, "Yeah of course…" He rushed her to her side, his hand outstretched, encouraging her to move forward through the doors, neither of the noticing that each and everyone one of the fire fighters left behind rushed towards the double doors, watching as Matt and Gabby spoke, each intrigued as they hadn't seen Matt smile this much in a long time. "So…how are you?" Matt slipped his hands into his pockets, watching her turn to face him.

She wanted to lie, wanted to say she was fine but something about Matt made her not want to lie to him. "I'm ah…I'm doing alright. Ya know…taking it one day at a time at the moment. Just coming to terms with it all, starting again…" He nodded, understanding how hard it must be for her. "But…I've got my brother and people close to me so I'm doing alright." She rocked back on her feet for a moment, wanting to really thank him but not sure how.

But he spoke first, "I'm glad you're ok Gabby. I know it must be hard to have to start again, but I know you'll be alright. If you are anything like your brother, I'm sure you'll be alright." Gabby laughed throwing her head back, a full smile coming to her lips.

"Oh God! I am more like Antonio than anyone would care to think! But I know I will be, its just hard working myself out ya know?" he nodded again, enjoying her smile, maybe a little too much. "I ah…I really wanted to thank you Matt. I know how close I was to not making it out of there and I'm alive because of you. I don't know what I could ever do to repay you for that…"

They hadn't really had a chance to talk in the hospital that day, Antonio having rushed in and Matt leaving quietly, this was her chance to really thank him. "You saved my life…" She whispered, her voice trailing off as it caught in her throat. She did know how close to was to dying that day, she knew exactly how bad it could have been and thanks to him, she came out of it with a bit of smoke inhalation and a cough.

"Gabby, you don't have to thank me; I'm just happy I got to you in time…when I placed you down on the gurney and you opened your eyes, I was so relieved that you were going to be alright…" He wanted to reach out and touch her hand but he didn't, part of him was too scared to touch her at all.

But she nodded, her smile falling for a moment before she looked away, this was also something she had wanted to come and talk to him about. "I ah…I also wanted to ask you…did I kinda…hold onto you that day?" She seemed embarrassed, unsure of herself as she stood there, biting the inside of her lip, waiting for his reply.

Had she held onto him? He couldn't forget the feeling of her hand in his if he tried! He nodded, watching as she dropped her head, a deep blush appearing on her dark skin. She really was embarrassed. "Oh god, I am so sorry! I can't believe I did that! However…I don't really remember much…" She wanted him to fill in the blanks, helping her understand what happened that night.

He laughed a little, "It's alright, really. I carried you out and when I put you down on the gurney you eventually woke up, you freaked out a little and reached out for me, you help onto my arm but I moved to hold your hand…" This caused Matt to blush a little, he felt like a teenager, telling a girl he held her hand. "I was just trying to keep you calm…Shay was concerned about the gash on your head…" he was trying to convince both himself and her that it was innocent. His eyes glanced up at it. The angry redness had gone away since the last time he had seen her but the stitches were still there. He frowned slightly, thinking about her in pain.

But Gabby smile, "Thank you Matt. You did more than what you should have for me and I am so grateful for it…" She reached out to touch him, her small hand slipping around his wrist, "Really…thank you…" They both relaxed a little, something suddenly coming to Matt.

"Oh give me a second…" He rushed away from her, missing her confused look as he hurried out to his truck, opening the passenger side door before returning to her, his hand behind his back as she looked at him confused. "I believe this belongs to you…"

Slowly Matt moved his hands in front of him, there sat the small wooden box he had pulled from Gabby's closet as she gave a sharp intake of breath, tears coming instantly to her eyes, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth. "Oh my god…" She whispered as she look up from the box to Matt, "How did you get this?"

With shaking hands she took it from Matt, gently, feeling the wood underneath her fingers. "Your brother asked if I could go and look for it. He said it was important to you so I wanted to get it for you…" He shrugged, placing his hands back into his pockets as he did so, clearly whatever was in that box was very important to her.

"Oh Matt…" she looked back up at him, tears brimming her eyelids, "I can't believe you did this for me…" She reached up, her free hand wrapping around his neck, pulling him into a hug, placing a kiss on his cheek, too emotional to even think of how his skin felt under her lips, but Matt didn't miss it. He was a little shocked at her reaction, but he wasn't going to think about it now, this was clearly something special to her.

He shrugged again, really enjoying being the reason she was so happy, "It was nothing really."

But she stopped him, "No, it's not. My, ah…my mum gave me this before she died; I've had it with me since I was about 8 years old. It was hers from when she was a kid…" Gabby ran her hand over the lid, "She died of cancer just before my 8th birthday…" She looked up at him again, she smile had faded now but she still looked happy to have the box. "This was the last thing I ever got from her…" she opened the box, pulling a small picture from it, "This was two weeks before my birthday, it was the last photo of us…"

Matt took the photo from her hands, looking down at it. It was clear that her mother was sick but she looked happy in the photo, her arms around Gabby's shoulder, both laughing at the camera. "She was beautiful…you look exactly like her…" He smile as he passed the photo back, Gabby's eyes never leaving it.

"You have no idea what this means to me…that you went to get this for me…thank you so much Matt," Again she reached out for his arm, this time her hand slipping into his tightly, both falling into silence as they stood there. After a few moments, Gabby cleared her throat, "So I should go…my sister in law and I are going shopping…" She rolled her eyes, it was clearly something she wasn't overly interested in but it was something that had to be done.

"Sounds like fun…" Matt gave her a lopsided grin.

She laughed, shaking her head, "Yeah it'll be better than apartment hunting I'll give you that!" She really wasn't looking forward to apartment hunting, she had liked her old place but now she had to find somewhere new to live.

This caused Matt's head to snap up, he had an idea, "Well, I work construction on my days off, if you need me to look at anything, let me know? I'd be happy to help out…" He wanted to see her again, he was fascinated by her and the thought of helping her out and seeing her smile, he would do anything for.

But she shook her head, "Oh no, I couldn't ask you to do that Matt, you've done too much already-"

But he cut her off, "Please…I would be more than happy to help out, really it's not trouble…" He gave her a look that told her not to argue with him, causing her to laugh and sigh. "Here, let me at least give you my number and if you want me to look at anything, just call and we can work something out…" _Smooth Casey_ he thought as she hesitated before nodding, slipping her phone from her pocket, allowing him to add his number.

"Thanks Matt," She smiled again, "I should get going. I just wanted to really thank you for everything you've done…" With one last squeeze of his hand, Gabby was heading back down the driveway towards her car; smiling to herself at how amazing he was for something he didn't know.

But what stopped her before she reached her car was his voice, "Hey Gabby!" She turned finding him standing just further outside the roller doors, "A couple of us here own a pub called Molly's, we are there most night's, why don't you come down, hang out?" He wanted to say _hang out with me_ but he would couldn't, not yet. "You're brother comes down some nights as well, he knows where it is…"

Gabby thought for a minute, maybe a night out would be good for her, somewhere she could just relax, "Sounds like a good idea, I'll chat to my brother and work it out!" She called back before slipping into her car and driving away. Leaving Matt standing, watching her drive away, smile on his face and a hidden spring in his step for the rest of the day.

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 **Hope the timing is ok** **Please review!**


	4. Making Poor? Decisions

**I am SO SO SO sorry that this has taken SO long. I have no idea what has been wrong with me. I just haven't been able to get this written.**

 **I don't think I like this chapter so please review and let me know what you think. If it makes sense so far and the timeline and pacing is alright.**

 **I am LOVING Dawsey this season, this is what we have been missing and I can't wait see what else they bring for us. I think, baby or not, wedding or not, its going to be worth the wait and it's going to be epic!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Making Poor? Decisions**

Gabby's near snapped up when she heard a knock at the bedroom door, placing down her newspaper as Antonio stepped in, finding his sister on her bed, surrounded by rental newspapers, apartments circled and highlighted. "Hey kid, already looking?" She had only been home for about a week and a half but she was already looking for somewhere to live.

She nodded, "Yeah, I can't stay here forever Tonio and I know Eva wants her room back." They had pulled in an extra mattress into Eva's room so gabby could stay there but Eva was 14, she didn't need to have her aunt living in her room. "Besides I need to get on with it, ya know?"

Antonio nodded, looking down at some of the papers, before looking up again, "So tell me...Nick..." He watched as gabby rolled her eyes, she should have expected him to bring Nick up, "hey don't roll your eyes at me. You two broke up for a reason and now he is back..." She pushed herself away from Antonio, crossing her arms over her chest.

She honestly hadn't thought about her currently relationship with Nick, she was happy to have him back in her life, she was comfortable having him around but she was too bothered by looking for a new apartment to even think about their relationship, "Tonio please can we not do this?" She really didn't want to have this conversation.

"No you know what, we are going to do this because I distinctly remember pulling you from bars after he left. You may have said that your breakup was mutual but there is no way it was mutual if you were hurting the way you were back then." She blinked and looked away, hating that Antonio was right, but not wanting to admit it. "Him leaving hurt you and you and I both know he isn't moving back here, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She huffed again, "it's fine Antonio ok. Now I have other things to worry about, can I please get on with it?" She motioned down to the papers on the bed just as another knock at the door came, Nick stepping through the door, his eyes connecting with Antonio's immediately, clearly noticing something was different within the room.

Antonio narrowed his eyes at Nick, he didn't like him, the man had made Gabby chose between her family in Chicago and following him to a different state and when she chose to stay in Chicago he had turned, became verbally abusive and threatening. If gabby hadn't stood her ground with him, Antonio wouldn't have known what could have happened.

As Antonio moved from the room, he glanced back at gabby before turning back to Nick, their eyes connected as he moved from the room, eventually leaving gabby and nick in the bedroom alone. "Hey cutie, what are you up to?" Gabby faltered as Nick came to sit on the bed, she hated when he called her that but she wasn't going to mention it now, she didn't really want to focus on it too much.

She moved slightly, showing him the paper, "Just looking into a few new places to live, got a few I need to follow upon tomorrow morning." She sighed; she was tired of looking though. Most places were either too far, too expensive or just not what she was after.

Nick nodded, wondering why Gabby would be looking for a place when it was obvious now that she should move away with him, that they could start again together, be what they should have been but he didn't mention it yet, it was something he was going to talk to her about later down the track. "Oh right. Well I need to go and do something for a few hours tonight but maybe we could go out. Do something…"

Gabby smiled, this was the perfect time to see Molly's, Antonio had extended the invite and she hoped to see members of 51 there. "Oh yeah, I was going to go with Antonio to a bar not far from here, Molly's, why don't you meet me there after?" She blinked back at him, unsure of what he would say.

Leaning forward, he kissed her possessively, "That sounds great. I'll invite the guys." And with that he left, missing the downcast look she wore at the mention of these friends. It wasn't that she didn't want him to spend time with them, she just hoped that maybe _they_ would be able to spend some time together. Clearly that wasn't going to be the case.

Sighing she pushed herself from the bed, in the back of her mind Matt's face appeared, a small smile coming to her lips as she thought about the possibility of seeing them there.

* * *

Matt sat against the bar nursing a beer in one hand and Antonio and Kelly at his other side, Kelly cracking some joke that had them both laughing happily, taking their minds off the painfully long shift that they endured the night before but Matt wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around him, his focus caught mostly on the fact that Antonio was by his side and he was itching to ask about Gabby. And so downing the last of his beer, he turned to Antonio, "Hey, how's your sister doing?" He was trying to play it off as cool, hoping that Antonio couldn't see through him, thankfully he hadn't, he just smiled.

Antonio nodded, swallowing his mouthful of beer before turning back to Matt, "Yeah she is doing real good. Itching to get back into her life ya know. She has been looking into some apartments." Antonio laughed watching as Matt smiled beside him.

"Yeah she mentioned that to me when she came by the firehouse, told her if she needed anything to give me a call, I'd go and check out the place for her if needed." He was trying to play it cool, start up a conversation about his sister in a way that it was not obvious that he was asking about her.

Antonio nodded, "Oh yeah good luck with that, she is a pain in the ass about asking people for help. Especially if you have already done something for her…" Matt smiled, he didn't mind her asking for help, he wanted to make sure that she was a safe place, but he didn't get a chance to reply, another voice calling their attention.

"You better not be talking about me Antonio Dawson…" Both men turned to find Gabby standing by their side, Antonio making a face to her but Matt was mesmerised. She stood before them in a simple pair of black jeans, boots, cream coloured top that sat off one shoulder, her makeup minimal and her hair done up in a green hair tie with her fringe pinned back.

Yes that is how much Matt was paying attention to her, that he even noted the colour of her hair tie, she looked stunning and he could only look at her. "Oh well if she shoe fits little sister…" Antonio's voice echoed in Matt's ears but it seemed distant, background noise, which only slipped away when she leaned over him to smack her brother's shoulder, causing her smell to assault his censors.

"Excuse my brother, he doesn't know the meaning of being kind. Especially not to his baby sister who almost died in a fire not to long ago!" She called over Matt's shoulder again, missing the downcast look and the draining of colour on his face when she said those words. But then she spoke to him directly, "I'm doing fine thank you. Getting my life sorted again, well at least trying to."

She took the seat next to him, Matt inwardly thankful that the person standing on the other side had pushed it a little closer to him while ordering their drink. She now sat with her shoulder against his, a smile wide on her face she as he looked down at her. "That's great to hear. It's good to see you out as well…" He must have been blushing because her smile grew wider, this one of amusement as well as enjoyment.

"Yeah I needed to get out, can't stay inside all day. Plus this really cool guy mentioned that I should come here, figured I should try it out…" She bumped her shoulder against his as they laughed, falling easily into conversation, Matt loving how animated Gabby was about the things they spoke about, how her laugh was full and real and her smile wide. How she listened intently to everything that he had to say and when he asked her questions, she was give full answers.

Gabby didn't think that sitting next to Matt was going to be this easy, sure she had a crush on him, but she also knew that it wasn't likely that he was single, how could he be? And Nick was in her life again, although she wasn't too sure in what capacity, but what she did know is that her and Matt were going to get along very well and she hoped that it would be a close friendship that would continue on for a long time.

Antonio smiled over Matt's shoulder as he watched his sister interact with the lieutenant, he hadn't seen her smile and laugh the way she was in a long time and he was happy that she had found someone who made her smile and laugh like that. He wasn't going to hide his dislike of Nick, he had voiced his opinion earlier that day to Gabby, but she was an adult and he would just be there for her if she needed him.

He was surprised that Gabby and Matt spent the next half and hour talking, laughing, enjoying each other's time. It had been such a long time since he had seen Gabby smile the way she was, their conversation turning from one thing to another, from childhood stories to workplace pranks. Antonio could see them becoming very close friends, very quickly, something he was not apposed to.

Antonio sighed as he saw Nick making his way over to Gabby, his eyes only for her. Biting his tongue, Antonio just watched as he came to her side. "Hey girlie, someone is looking fine tonight…" he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, startling her instantly before covering her lips with his, a possessive act that was clearly meant to make Matt back off but as Matt didn't even know Nick existed, it was a shock to see the encounter.

Anger burned through Matt as he watched this guy make his way up to Gabby and just kiss her, he stood, ready to be by Gabby's side if needed however, his anger turned to confusion as he watched Gabby pulled away, a shocked look on her face but she didn't look angry, "Nick! You scared me!" Then she laughed and didn't pull away from the man. Slowly she turned to Matt, watching as he sat back on the chair, clearly missing his protective stance he was going to take, "Ah Matt this is Nick…Nick this Matt - he is the fire fighter who saved my life…"

Nick smiled at Matt, wide and toothy and fake, "Matt. Nice to meet you. Nick, Gabby's boyfriend, thank you for looking out for her." Matt shook his hand, sending a nod back in his direction, too unsure of himself to actually reply but it was clear that a reply wasn't needed because not even a second later, Nick had Gabby by the hand, pulling her away from the bar and Matt towards who he could only assume was his friends.

Gabby glanced back behind her towards Matt as Nick led her through the crowd, she had wanted to stay and talk to him, she wanted to keep talking to him as they had been, she wasn't overly fond her Nick's friends and she had been getting along well with Matt, but she didn't know how long Nick was going to be in town for and she was determined to spend as much time with him as possible. And so with one last look over her shoulder and a small smile as an apology towards Matt, Gabby disappeared into the crowd to a far table where Nick began telling stories of his time out of state.

Slowly Matt turned back to his new beer Hermann had placed in front of him at some stage, confusion coming over him instantly but a girl like her, why would he be so surprised that she was already in a relationship. But he thought there was something between them, had he been out of the game so long that he couldn't even read someone anymore. Had he started to have a deeper crush on someone that wasn't even available? Why had she not mentioned a boyfriend before? Why would she have even had a reason to mention him?

He jumped at the pressure of a hand on his shoulder, pulling him from all his thoughts and questions, "Don't mind him, he is a jerk."

Antonio had seen the look cross Matt's face the moment the word _boyfriend_ had fallen from Nick's mouth, it was clear that Gabby hadn't introduced him as such but Nick had gone ahead and done it anyway. He had watched the scene in front of him, all to obvious that Matt had taken a liking to Gabby, more than just wanting to be close friends, and Antonio would have been more than happy for it to be more than friends, not only had Matt saved his sister's life but he was a good man, as an older brother, he would have been happy to have Matt by Gabby's side.

Matt just looked down at his beer, not really wanting to give away too much to Antonio but it was clear by the look on his face that Antonio knew too much of how Matt was feeling. So he decided to play it off, "As long as she is happy…" before turning back to his beer and the hockey which he had suddenly found interesting, needing something to focus his attention away from the fact that Gabby was sitting in the same room and he wasn't able to be near her.

Antonio sighed as he watched as Matt tuned himself away from what was going on around him, clearly trying to focus his attention away from his sister. He had known Matt for a while now, they had become close through cases and just looking out for each other and so Antonio hated seeing Matt upset over someone like Nick…he would have to talk to Gabby about the situation. It wasn't long before Matt pushed himself from the bar, threw some money on the bench before mumbling something about needing sleep after a long day, before he pushed his way through the crowd, stopping by the door to send one last glance in Gabby's direction before heading out the door into the night.

"Yeah he was been in knots about her. She came to the firehouse the other day, he was so happy to see her…" Kelly mumbled towards Antonio as he turned back to the bar, "It's been a while since I had seen him smile like that…" And with a tip of his beer towards Antonio, Kelly turned back towards the woman by his side, almost instantly forgetting about his previous conversation with Antonio when the woman leaned in against him.

Antonio looked out towards where Gabby was sitting, he had seen Matt leave, a pause at the door and a glance in her direction before leaving but he waited to see if gabby would noticed and he was put surprised when she did. Slowly her head turned towards the door, no doubt noticing the back of matt as he left, the smile she wore falling from her face but she turned back to Nick and his friends, another quick glance to the door like she was deciding whether to go after matt or not.

Pushing himself from the bar, Antonio made his way to Gabby, touching her shoulder to get her attention, "You got a minute?" She nodded, Antonio noticing that Nick didn't even give her a second glance as she moved from his side, too engrossed with the conservation he was having to care that Gabby had left the table.

Gabby was confused when Antonio moved her towards the furthest conversation of the bar, which also happened to be the quietest, "Tonio what's wrong?" She was worried, whatever it was; he clearly didn't want anyone else to hear.

But as Antonio turned he sighed, "Look I'm just worried ok. Having Nick here might feel like a good thing but I just...he isn't good enough for you Gabby. You know that..." He tired to take a step closer to gabby but she pushed him away.

"We aren't having this conversation again Antonio ok, this doesn't concern you. I don't need you to tell me who I should or shouldn't be with. Can we please not do this here, now?" They were bringing attention to themselves and she didn't want that, she just wanted to enjoy herself for the night.

Antonio sighed, deciding to take a different approach to see how she reacted, "Fine. But thought I'd let you know that Matt left already, I know you told him you were going to come back and talk to him but he said something about heading out." Her face stayed stoic but he saw it, the like flash behind her eyes, the disappointment flashing across her eyes, the small pout of her lips that she thought he missed. "Just thought you should know..."

Before he turned from her, taking his seat back next to some of the guys from his unit, leaving gabby alone, a sadness coming over her as she thought about Matt leaving before she had a chance to go and see him, wishing she had stayed at the bar when nick had turned up.

After a moment, Gabby shook her head, she was there with Nick and she was happy to be with him, it felt nice, comfortable, she felt happy. And that's what she was going to focus on now, getting her life back on track and staying happy. Turning she moved back towards nick, taking her seat next to him but it was clear that he hadn't even noticed she was gone because he didn't even look her way when she sat down again.

* * *

"Well would you look who is back, nice of you to join us again Gabrielle," the snickering she received when she was back was something that Gabby was expecting, none of them at the firehouse really seemed to care that she had been in hospital, most wanting to make sure was ok and not injured but now that she was back, she wasn't really feeling the warmth or love from them. Not that she expected it.

She huffed, pulling her hair up into a tight bun, "Nice to see you too Welch." She rolled her eyes, not really wanting to interact with him much; she really didn't like him so she was never really interested with interacting with him.

But there wasn't much time for chatting; instantly the bells rang throughout the firehouse calling them as a second alarm to an already attended fire. Rolling her eyes, Gabby jumped into the ambo, headed straight for something that she really hoped wasn't as bad as it sounded.

They arrived on scene less than 5 minutes later, 51 Truck and Squad already on scene, rushing in and out of the building, screams and cries echoing through the scene. "105 I need you around the back, they are coming through the back!" Boden called out as Welch and his men went to his side, Gabby and her partner waiting by his side as well, getting ready to care for anyone who needed it. "Medics, I need you standing by, I've got a couple of men in the basement."

Gabby nodded, watching as Welch sent his men around the back, he and someone else heading towards the front door, there was only a few seconds before the front door blew out, smoke and flames bursting through the doorway, more screams echoed as it happened, people moving as far away as possible, ducking their heads and hiding away from the flames. "Casey, Otis! Report!"

Standing next to Boden, Gabby gasped, Matt had been in there, Matt had been in that basement and now there was smoke billowing from the doorway, the same doorway that should have been his exit. She waited impatiently, looking from Boden to the doorway and then back, Boden looking down at her, seeing the fear in her eyes as she waited, like they all were, too see Matt and Otis come out of that house, safe and in one piece.

Noticing the fear through Gabby's eyes, Boden tried again, "Casey report!" He had known Gabby for a long time; they had worked together while he was filling in at another house when she had first started out and he could read her like an open book, he could tell she was very worried, why he wasn't sure but he could see the fear in her eyes as they waited for Matt to come from the house.

It felt like forever, waiting for some sign of either man to come out, Welch and his men had even started gearing up to go in after them but the moment the stepped closer to the house, another wave of smoke billowed from the doorway, this time followed by two men, carrying another, but two fire fighters made their way out of the house, straight for the waiting paramedics, those from house 51, their arms outstretched, the victim going straight to their side.

Gabby let out a deep breath, thankful that Matt and Otis were both ok, but very much thankful that Matt was alright. "Casey, Otis, get checked out!" Boden called them over, Otis coming over instantly, heading to Gabby's partner but Matt shook his head.

"I'm alright Chief, just hot." But Chief was not taking any of it, he nodded towards Gabby, a wordless order what Matt couldn't ignore and so Gabby watched as he trudged over to her side, following her towards the ambo. They were silent for a few moments, it had been the first time they had seen each other since Molly's and if Matt was honest with himself, he was a little unsure around her now.

But Gabby spoke first, she had been worried about the charring on the back of his turnout jacket, she wanted to make sure he was all right, "Lift your shirt, I want to make sure it hasn't burned through…" She touched his shoulder now, getting attention when she noticed he was off in his own little world.

Matt blinked over his shoulder, his eyes connecting instantly with Gabby, noticing the worry behind them. Suddenly he understood what she had said and so he slipped his jacket off his shoulders and lifted his shirt, trying his hardest not to focus on Gabby's hands on his back. "How is it?" He croaked out, hoping that if he focussed on the injury itself, he wouldn't focus on her touch.

He heard her sigh behind him, "You are going to live…which is nice…" she must have just placed a small bandage against his shoulder, before very slowly pulling his shift back down, covering his exposed skin. "Matt, you need to be more careful…" She was close to him now, wanting this little conversation to just be between them, she had no idea what possessed her to speak to him that way but she did and it felt like it was something that needed to be done.

"But it's my job…" he looked over his shoulder once more, noticing the soft look in her eyes, the worry had slipped away but there was something else. "I'm alright, I promise."

She nodded, she knew he was all right, but she was happy she could see for herself. "I know you are, just had me a little worried that's all…" She touched his shoulder now, Matt could feel the warmth of her hand against his neck, smiling back at him, he reached out and placed his hand against hers, telling he really was ok.

"Next time Casey, how about you _don't_ play the hero…" They were both snapped out of their position by Welch, deciding that now was a good time to come over to them. Matt groaned, dropped his head before looking towards the man who now stood in front of him, their eyes connecting instantly. But Matt was determined not to bite, Welch was goading him into a confrontation and Matt wasn't going to give in.

"What nothing to say pretty boy?"

Slowly Matt stood, he was going to front up to Welch but he felt Gabby stand beside him, "Piss off Welch. He is just doing his job." Then Welch turned on Gabby, his eyes dark.

"You haven't been gone long enough to forget how things work around my fire house Dawson, I would watch myself if I were you…"

Gabby thought for a moment, she really didn't care to fight with him, fighting made it worse and so she would just close her mouth and let him think he had the upper hand. But this was different; standing by their side was Hermann, Otis and Severide, watching on as Welch bit back at her, "Yeah that's what I thought. Don't forget the bathrooms need a good scrub when we get back." And with that he left, his men following behind him, snickering as they went.

"He clearly hasn't changed, right bag of sunshine he is." Hermann huffed as Welch walked away, noticing Matt look back at Gabby who just sighed, there was no point fighting Welch, it made her life more difficult that it needed to be. She didn't follow his every command, she didn't cower away form him, she just didn't argue, just let what he said wash over her so she could about her day without worrying about him.

With a quick glance to Matt, Gabby moved to the front of the ambo, he was going to ask questions, he was going to want to know what that was all about but she really wasn't in the mood to answer them. Mainly because having him so close to her was confusing her, she felt something in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't understand or describe and it was easier to try and distance herself from him at that point.

In the rear view mirror, she watched as Matt shook his head, staring in the direction she had gone, wanting to follow but deciding against it, instead calling for his men to pack up, needing to get back to their own house and needing to get away from Gabby and her touch and smell and voice. She had a boyfriend, he couldn't be thinking of her the way he was right then.

But that didn't stop him from thinking about her, her laugh, her smile, the look in her eyes when she was worried about him. He wanted to spend more time with her, they had gotten along so well that half hour they had together at Molly's, he wanted more of that, if for nothing else, he could see them becoming very close friends. If he couldn't have her in his life as someone more than a friend, he would gladly have her as a friend.

* * *

Matt wasn't too sure if sitting at that table was the best option, he honestly didn't know if making that call was one of his best decisions but here he was, waiting, tapping his fingers, debating the chances of leaving before she turned up but when the door to the café opened and Hallie walked in, Matt knew that leaving was not something that was going to happen. He had been unsure of himself for the last week or so, after wanting nothing more than wanting to get to know Gabby better to finding out she had a boyfriend, he felt unsure and so he had made the call to Hallie, wondering if it was the right decision the moment he had pressed the dial button.

Not that he hated her or anything like that; it was just sitting there watching her walk towards him that brought back all the memories of them being together, memories of how happy they had been and then how much it had hurt when they had broken up, he was seriously debating his own sanity after calling her to meet up for coffee. "Hey Matt…" Her voice pulled him from his thoughts, smiling up at her as she took the seat opposite him.

"Hey Hallie, how are you?" She was beautiful, smiling widely at him; her eyes were bright, happy. He wasn't sure what they were doing, what was doing to come from this meeting, but he wanted to just enjoy his time.

She smiled again, remembering the happiness they had, "I've been good. I'm glad you called actually. I ah…I've been thinking about you a lot since seeing you last week…" She smiled widely, she was never one to be embarrassed or blush, she wasn't going to start now.

Matt didn't know what to say to that, she had always been a very forward person, not that he minded but considering they hadn't seen each other in a while, the comment stopped him in his tracks. Clearing his throat, he leaned forward, "We'll I'm glad then. I know it's been a while. I was a little shocked to see you at the hospital actually. How is that going?"

Hallie noticed that he had ignored her comment, although she couldn't blame him, they hadn't seen each other in a while. "It's been good. I'm really enjoying it. How are you? How is work?" She leaned forward, touching his hand that rested near his coffee cup.

Matt wanted to pull away, feeling her hand against him, it warmed him, the memories rushing back to him instantly, but this was a social meeting, they were no bad blood between them, so he didn't, he also didn't reach for her hand. "That's great. It's been good, busy, construction has been good as well, getting a lot of work when I'm not on shift so I'm really glad about that."

He was, having the construction job was something that he really loved, something that kept him going when he was having a rough time or had a bad shift, it helped him settled his thoughts when he could work with his hands and be able to look at something he had made and he would be proud of him.

They conversations continued for almost an hour, falling back into their old ways, laughing, chatting, like old times. They were happy, he was happy, having her back in his life, in whatever this was, was making him happy. Until Hallie changed the subject, bringing up one thing that could stop his thoughts about Hallie in their tracks. "I forgot to tell you that Gabby Dawson was released last week, clean bill of health." She smiled; hoping that he would be glad to hear that someone he saved from a fire was doing alright.

His face fell, in the back of his mind, Gabby was always there, he knew nothing about her really, even after their talk at Molly's, there was so much more to her that he wanted to find out about. There was something about her though, something that would sit in the front of his mind when he would wake up, something that would make him smile as he lay in bed but that would be until the image of her kissing her boyfriend came to his mind. Then the smile would fall and he would get his feeling in his stomach, sadness- -

"Matt?"

He must have zoned out because Hallie was looking at him strangely, her brow furrowed, hand outstretched to touch his again, hoping to get his attention. Sucking in a deep breath, Matt let a smile come to his face, although it wasn't as bright as it was earlier, "Yeah she came past the firehouse just after being released. Wanted to thank us. And I actually know her brother quite well…"

This confused Hallie, why would Matt know her brother and not have known it was his sister when he had saved her. He continued, knowing Hallie would recognise the name, having known Antonito while they were still together, "Antonio Dawson, the detective in Intelligence, he's her older brother." Hallie nodded, understanding now who the older bother was.

"Well Matt, you should be really happy, you saved her life. It was pretty close to be a lot worse you know." He did know, he had spoken to the doctors already about how close she had come to being in very serious trouble, they had told him that he had gotten to her only moments before the smoke inhalation would have become too much. That was not something he wanted to have been told, images of her not making would plague him at night knowing how close she had been.

"Really I'm just glad she is ok…" There was a part of him that stopped short, he knew he would never tell Hallie that she was a medic he would no doubt be working with again, much like they had the week before when she checked him over. He felt like it was something she didn't need to know, although he didn't know.

There were many times over the last week that Matt wanted to text her, see how she was going, only to remember that he had been the one to give her his number, under the guise of helping her out but he didn't have a way of contacting her, but it never stopped him from hoping, wishing, that she would text him one day.

* * *

 **I actually don't like this chapter. I don't feel that it has come out anything like how I wanted so I would appreciate some feedback, good or bad. I just hated that I have been sitting on this chapter for so long already and it needed to be completed and posted.**

 **So please review! :D**


	5. Bad Romance

**There really are no excused for the lateness of this chapter. I have been SO busy at work that I have been working 14 hours days almost every day I am at work, it's been crazy! But here is the new chapter, I hope that it is worth the wait!**

 **Please review! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Bad Romance**

Gabby groaned, as there was a knock on the door. Who the hell would be knocking on the door at dinnertime? She just wanted to relax, to lay on the ouch and not think about going back to work the next day, didn't want to gave to think about spending about 24hours with Welch and the men at 105 but clear quiet was something that she wasn't going to get tonight. Antonio had gone out with the family to a friend's birthday, leaving Gabby home, as she liked, wanting to just relax. She had found herself curled up on the couch in shorts and a tank top, comfortable and happy.

Until some ass decided to disturb her and make her get up from the couch when they had knocked on the door. She huffed as she pulled open the door, not even bothering to see who it was, because she was not interested in giving them much time, she was shocked to find Matt standing on the other side, cargo shorts, tight blue shirt, tool belt hanging from his hand. She froze for a second, just watching him as he smiled back at her, a wide smile.

"Hey Matt, what are you doing here?" She was very shocked to see him, how did he even know where she, well Antonio, lived. She leaned up against the door, her eyes flickering down to the tool belt, instantly wondering what they would look like sitting on his hips. Clearly her throat, she stood up a little straighter, hoping he hadn't seen her cheeks redden slightly.

Matt smiled down at Gabby as she stood in front of him, she looked so shocked to see him, clearly Antonio hadn't told her he was coming over, he wondered if he was there but really, he hoped Antonio wasn't. Matt had to force himself not to look down, not to take in her tight tank top, or her cotton shorts, instead he let his eyes focus on her face, the way her hair curled down on shoulder. Suddenly realising that she had spoke to him and that he was staring, he shook his head slightly, "Ah, hey Gabby. Antonio called me, said there were some things that needed to be fixed…"

Antonio had called him a few days ago while on shift, asking if he had come time to come over and fix the basement door, with the warm weather ending soon, the door would get stuck in the winter and let in a horribly cold wind. He'd also asked Matt to look at a few things around the house as well. It was no secret that Antonio was not handy enough to fix what was needed; it was just easier to ask Matt to do it. He had hoped that Gabby would there, if nothing more than to see her once again.

"Oh right, come in the. He mentioned something about it but never really said what was wrong with it." She moved away from the door, letting Matt walk by her, she let her eyes flutter shut when he had his back to her. "Everyone is out at the moment so I'll show you to-" She stopped suddenly, rushing away from Matt towards the kitchen, hearing the bubbling of the water that she was waiting to boil. "Shit." She mumbled as she reached out to turn off the stove, hearing Matt laugh behind her. "This isn't funny, I feel like I have been waiting for this water to boil for hours and suddenly when I'm not paying attention to it, there it goes."

This only made his laugh harder, watching her as she rushed from side of the kitchen to the other, her bare feet padding on the tiled floor, she was too cute rushing around. He was taken from his thoughts when he heard her hiss, the lid to the pot banging against the counter top. Instantly he was by her side, his tool belt thumping away on the ground as he dropped it, "Are you alright?" He looked down at her, her hand clutched to her chest.

He pulled it from her chest, looking down he noticed a small amount of redness around her wrist, "I'm alright, just ah…just caught the steam as I was moving around." But he was intent on inspecting it for himself, her soft skin under his fingers, she watched him closely as he turned her hand over, just making sure it was all fine. Swallowing deeply she smiled as he looked back at her face. "See told you I was fine." Slowly she slipped her hand from his, the warmth of his hand affecting her more than she wanted it to.

Matt nodded and moved away from her, suddenly feeling awkward. He waited a few moments for her to organise herself before she turned back to him, "Alright, I'll show you where the basement is…" She inclined her head towards the furthest door, walking past the table, Matt looked down, noticing the papers that were laying there, images of new apartments that Gabby was no doubt looking into. He smiled to himself; he might try and take a quick look at them before he left that night.

"So I don't know exactly what you have to do with it but here it is…" He pointed out towards the back door, watching him move around, inspecting it closely before tightening his tool belt around his waist, she was right, looking at him like that; he looked even better with the accessory.

"Nah it's alright, I already spoke to him, should only take me an hour or so to get it all done tonight," He turned to look behind him to see her watching him closely, fascinated with what he was doing.

Nodding, she turned to leave him alone, thinking for a second, "No problems, you want a beer or something?" She wasn't too sure if he would accept but she though she should just asked. Surprised he nodded, thanking her before getting a start on his work.

Gabby had gone back to the kitchen not too long after that, needing to be as far away from Matt as possible, just having him in there was making her feels lots of different things but she wasn't going to let herself think about it, she was back with Nick and that's all that mattered.

She couldn't believe her brother hadn't told her that Matt was coming over, well actually she could believe it, he had been asking and hinting and talking more about Matt the last few weeks. She didn't mind, they had gotten along well when she had seen him at Molly's but it was clear that Antonio didn't like Nick but he liked Matt. She sighed, not really knowing how to deal with this situation, she wanted to be friends with Matt, she genuinely liked him, he made her laugh, smile, but there was this feeling sitting inside her stomach whenever she thought about him, or that his name was mentioned and it worried her because she didn't know what that feeling was.

She had lost track of how long she had been sitting at the kitchen table, staring down at the open magazine but not really reading it; the sound of bubbling water catching her attention, telling her the pasta was ready to serve. Flicking the gas off, Gabby set about getting the food ready to eat, pouring the sauce into the pasta, mixing it before serving, stopping momentarily before filling a second bowl with the food.

She hadn't thought about asking Matt if he wanted to have something to eat but it was almost 7pm and there was no doubt that he would be hungry if he hadn't already eaten dinner before coming over. Placing both plates on the table, Gabby moved to the stairs, taking them one by one as not to fall, "Hey, I don't know if you're interested at all but I made some pasta if you're hungry…" She found him kneeling on the floor, his eyes focussed on the door he was trying to fix.

Matt jumped a little, so lost in his thought of finishing the job at hand, then his thoughts of Gabby were mixed in with his concentration. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her, about her laugh or her smile or the way she blinks up at him when he was telling her stories at Molly's that night. But he couldn't help it, she was funny, smart, and beautiful but she was in a relationship. There was nothing he could do about his feelings for her.

He jumped suddenly at the sound of her voice, having not heard her come down the stairs, he had not been expecting anyone to talk. Turning around quickly he found her standing by the bottom of the stairs, her smile wide and laughter coming from his lips, she had scared him and she had found it amusing. "Jesus! I didn't hear you coming at all." He sucked in a breath, trying to calm his skyrocketed heart rate.

This only made her laugh more, throwing her head back, the sound filtered through the room. "Oh come on! Big tough fire fighter, scared of me?" She shook her head, catching the towel he had thrown at her, not liking that she was teasing him but welcoming it if it meant he could see her smile and hear her laugh. "Come on, food is getting cold." She didn't even wait for him to accept her offer, knowing that after this little conversation there would be a lot of laughter to come over dinner.

As they sat, Matt breathed deeply, smelling the amazing food she had just made, "Oh man this smells great!" He eagerly accepted the food, finding that it tasted even better than it smelt. "Damn Gabby, this is great!" He watched her blush lightly at his words, glad that he had liked the food but also at his compliment.

"Thanks, I like to cook. My mum used to teach me, before she died, it was just something that we did together and now when I cook, I think of her." She smiled fondly at the memory of her mother teaching her how to cook. She was young, no doubt, but she was good at it.

Matt smiled, "Well she would be proud of the job you did today, I'm sure." And with that they fell into silence, finishing the rest of their meal, Matt tried to think of something to say, his mouth moving before his mind had a chance to think, "So…how's ah…Nick…" Something flashed over Gabby's at the mention of Nick's name, something Matt couldn't read.

Gabby was no expecting him to mention Nick, honestly she had completely forgotten about Nick while they were sitting at the table together, shock flashing over her eyes at his name. "Oh he is alright, he is out with his friends tonight I think." He had sent her a text telling her they would have to reschedule their plans because his friends wanted to go out. It wasn't unusual; this was something he would do on more than one occasion so she was used to it, that didn't mean it didn't hurt her when it happened.

Matt's brow furrowed, the tone of her voice telling him that him bailing on her upset her more than she wanted to let on. Again he spoke before he thought, "Well I'm kinda glad that it happened, or else we wouldn't be having this great meal together…"

She blushed again, this time a deep red covering her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Why was he so sweet to her? Clearing her throat, Gabby chose to ignore the last comment, sending him a smile instead, she changed the subject, "So ah…Matt…tell me what it was like growing up? I'm sure Antonio has told you more than enough about our childhoods…" She knew it to be true, he was always telling stories of what it was like when they were kids.

Matt smiled, he had made her nervous, her changing the subject but he could see the blush still there. He was going to be as honest as possible with her, he wanted to be, "Well…it wasn't always sunshine and roses in the Casey family, I have an older sister, our father died when I was about 15, so it was hard but I knew what I wanted to do with my life so I just worked towards that really." He smiled, not really wanting to go further into the details of his childhood.

Gabby's face fell, she knew what it was like to lose a parent, she reached out, her hand touching his, "I'm sorry Matt, it must have been so hard for you growing up without your father." But she didn't know that he was abusive, he was an asshole and part of Matt was a little happy he wasn't in his life anymore.

Did he want his dad dead? Some day's when his dad would backhand him across the face, call him useless, before pushing him out the front door and locking him out in the rain; of course he did.

But once he was gone, and once he was older, he realised that he just wished him out of his life. That night, he had not just lost his father; he lost his mother and his sister in a matter of hours.

Matt turned his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly, "It's alright Gabs. Really, he was a bastard anyway." It was an off-handed comment, which only made her frown deepen, "Hey, it's good, really. He liked to drink, liked to yell, liked to lift his hand to me and my mum. But I'm alright, it's alright." He squeezed her hand again, wanting to make sure she understood that it was all right.

"I am sorry Matt, that must have been terrible." It hurt her to know that he had grown up in such a terrible way, but she knew enough about him to know that whatever his father had said to him when he was growing; he was wrong.

They conversation changed instantly after that; laughter filling the kitchen and then the living room, both having moved from the table to the couch where it was more comfortable, beer in each of their hands, red faces from laughing, telling stories of work and stories of home life, the minutes ticking over into hours. Sometime during their conversations; Gabby and Matt had moved closer to each other, face each other, Gabby's legs tucked under herself, Matt's arm resting on the back of the couch.

"You know, it's been a long time since I have laughed like this." She smiled back at him, one too many beers and she was much more talkative, her inhibitions lowered. "You know…some nights I still have nightmares about the fire…"

This caught his attention, placing his beer back on the coffee table gently, he turned to face her, a serious look coming over her face, "I wake up with the same feeling as I did when I woke up in that fire. Some night's I see you, I can hear your voice," She blushed a little, having just told him that she dreams about him, "But you don't get to me in time…or I reach out my hand for you but it just doesn't reach…"

These nightmares had been keeping her up more than she had liked, waking up in a cold sweet, or bolting upright, her chest heaving, it scared her, and it scared her almost as much that Matt was part of every nightmare she had, granted he was always trying to save her but the look in his eyes when he couldn't was what scared her most.

Matt frowned, leaning over and pulling her in for a hug, he didn't care if she had tried to pull away, it was clear she needed this hug and he was going to give it, "Hey it's alright, you are alive and healthy. I promise you that." He felt her sigh against him, nodding into his chest.

For a moment Gabby wanted to sit there forever, she felt safe in his arms, like nothing could hurt her, but she knew she could not stay there, she could not stay in his arms forever, so instead she slowly pulled away, clearing her throat as she did, "Thanks Matt…" She touched his cheek, her hand resting there for a moment, their eyes locked together as she tried to work out what to do next.

But he smiled at her, "Any time you need anything I'm here for you…" His voice was soft, gently. He thought for a moment, her staring back at him, he wanting to badly to touch her lips with his, but he wouldn't, not only did she have a boyfriend, but he didn't want to ruin the great friendship they were growing. And so he pulled away, his hand slipping to cover the one still sitting on his cheek, squeezing it gently.

Gabby gave him a slight confused look as he pulled away, deep down she was hoping he would kiss her, she wanted him to kiss her but he couldn't blame him, not too long ago they had been talking about Nick and where he was so it was no surprise that Matt pulled away. "I'm really glad that it was you that saved me from that fire Matt. I like to think we have become pretty close since then."

He laughed, she was a little tipsy, he could tell by her smile, but he agreed, "Well I'm glad I was the one who pulled you out Gabs…" Now he pulled away further, sitting with his back against the couch, he watched her, watched her eyes shine as he spoke. "So how was it for you growing up? Must have been hard without your mum…" He knew it was a touchy subject and she might not even want to talk about it but he thought he would see how much he could learn about her in the time they had. He didn't know how long it would be until Antonio would be coming back through that door.

Gabby sighed, glancing away from him for a moment, she wanted to answer, she just didn't know how. But he corrected himself instantly, noticing the drop in her eyes, "I'm sorry Gabs, you don't have to answer. I was just-"

But she cut him off, her hand touching his instantly, "No it's alright. I was just thinking…" She looked away again, sighing once more, "It was hard, I was quite young when she did die so I guess at first I didn't really understand. I think I still expected to have mum at home when I came home from school. And well Antonio was older so he obviously understood and I think that he and dad tried to shelter me a little, I was only about 8 at the time."

She looked away slowly, remembering the funeral and the wake afterwards, she remembered sitting by the kitchen table with people coming up to her, hugging her, crying. She did understand what had happened, she understood that her mother was gone and that everyone was sad but she didn't understand what that meant for the future. "I think the hardest part was growing up without her. Going through my teenagers years was hard enough without her but then I had Antonio and my dad to content with…" She laughed then.

Shaking her head, Gabby inadvertently moved a little closer to Matt, something he didn't pull away from, "I remember when I was going to a school dance one year and you would have expected the both of them to be very protective but it was crazy, Antonio was on shift, he would drive by the hall, check in on me, even when I told him to leave he wouldn't. I was _so_ embarrassed!" She laughed again, dropped he head forward as Matt laughed as well. He could imagine Antonio doing that. "And to make it worse, I came home in a huff, about to tell me dad what had happened and I find him on the phone to Antonio! I was so mad I didn't speak to them for over a week!"

This made Matt laugh, he didn't know their father but he could understand why they were protective. With a wide smile he shook his head, "Awe! They were worried! They just love you Gabby…" All he got back in return was a very childish poke of the tongue, causing his smile to grow wider. She was too cute.

"It was terrible. But it was hard…" rolling her eyes like she didn't want to explain but she was trying, "When I was growing, it was hard without her around. Antonio and dad weren't much help to me; I was lucky I had Laura around. She really helped me out through high school and it all…" She blushed a little, not really knowing why but then she turned serious, "Laura helped me through so much when I was a kid, I owe her more than she realises. She and Antonio had already been together a couple of years when mum died, she I knew her quite well already. They had been high school sweethearts."

Matt loved hearing her talk about her family, the look in her eyes and the smile on her face, even though the story was shrouded in sadness there was a light in her eyes as she spoke. And he just listened; taking in all the information she gave him, the stories and the laughter, the sadness and the happiness, just seeing her smile was enough for him.

* * *

Gabby smiled down at her phone as she read the recent text from Matt; they had been chatting lots since he had been at Antonio's house. It had started as an innocent 'thank you for dinner' and had just continued from there. Each talking about their day on shift, things that hey planned for their days off and everything in between.

It had been almost a month since he had been to Antonio's and they had also met up many times at Molly's, they conversations never getting old or boring, always finding something new to laugh about or bitch about depending on the day. He had even started to be able to read her like an open book.

It has been last week, Friday night and Molly's was crazy. There were more people there than you would have thought possible but Matt, Kelly and Shay had been able to find a booth at the back, their laughter mixing in with the rest of the people there.

 _"Come on man! You gotta tell us!" Kelly leaned over the table, Matt had been happy lately, smiling at his phone, laughing and Kelly was insisting that it was a girl he was seeing. But they didn't know it was actually Gabby. They had asked about her and he had told them that they were close but they didn't know that they had been texting quite a bit lately._

 _Did he have feelings for her?_

 _Of course he did but he wanted to be in her life, have her as someone who he could turn to and count and be the same for her and so he put those feelings aside, doing what he could to make her laugh or smile._

 _"What? Can't I just be happy?" He rolled his eyes, he knew his friends cared about him but he didn't want to have to explain that he had feelings for a girl that wasn't available._

 _And speaking of the girl, Gabby rushed to their table, sitting by his side with a huff, a smile on her face but it wasn't the full one he had grown to adore. "I need a drink!" She smiled at Shay and Kelly who nodded, standing, they made they way to the bar. "Sorry I'm late. Had a bit of a crazy night so it took me a while to get going."_

 _Gabby glanced up at Matt, not wanting to look him in the eye, his smell was enough to make want to shiver. "Nah you're right..." It wasn't like her to he wearing a sad smile like she was, it concerned him. "You ok?" He turned a little to face her, noticing that she was a little flustered, concerned that something had happened._

 _But she shook her head, "I'm fine." But it was clear that he wasn't giving in that easily, she rolled her eyes, how did he know her that well already? "Just had a bad call last night, that's all…" That's when he saw it, the sadness that reflected in her eyes, the sadness she was trying desperately to hide from him. "We had a late night call, car accident with a group of kids. Her parents turned up just as we were putting her into the back of the ambo…" that's when she looked away from him, remembered the sounds of their cries. Usually the medics weren't around to hear or see it, they didn't have to experience the families losses but occasionally they did, occasionally they would be in the middle of the horror._

 _Matt sighed, he hated that she had been through that, that it was clear that it was still affecting her, he pulled her close, "it's alright Gabs, I'm sure you did you best." She nodded against him, not pulling away at all, just sitting by him. This is what she needed, a hug, the warmth that he was giving her. Something that it was clear that Nick wasn't going to give her considering he was out with his friends…again._

 _Finally she pulled away from him, wiping her eyes, "I'm fine. Really…" She smiled up at him, this time her smile slightly wider, but still not the Gabby Dawson smile he was used to but by this time Shay and Kelly had come back with their drinks and all talk of last night's shift was done._

Gabby wondered to herself, as she walked through the fire house, how she had gotten through the days on shift without the entertainment she was getting from Matt. He made the days bearable and the nights easy as they talked and laughed through text, sometimes calls if it wasn't too late or they weren't too busy but it was clear that he had become someone she was depending on, someone who she _could_ depend on.

Did that scare her?

Of course it did. Other than Antonio, Gabby hadn't found herself depending on anyone else throughout her life but it seemed that Matt had quickly become the exception to that rule. She sighed, slipping her phone back into her pocket, needing to clear her head she headed out the front of the firehouse, her smile coming back to her face when she noticed Nick coming through the bay doors.

"Hey sexy…" But he wasn't alone, two of his friends stood behind him, just watching as he came to her side, his hand slipping to her back, pulling her to him instantly, his hand sliding down to her backside, "I missed you…" he mumbled against her lips, it was clear that he was putting on a show for his friends, something else she hated because he was never like this when they were alone.

She had recently been noticing little things that Nick would do that would bother her. From the way he would become possessive like this when his friends were around, or how he would only come by or meet up when it suited him, even when she just needed him by her side, he wasn't there. All the things that she had passed over when they were together last was now staring her in the face. And honestly, it was annoying.

They hadn't really done much since he had come back. They weren't in a serious relationship, but it seemed as though he may have told his friends something different but she wouldn't fight him, he wasn't pressuring her for anything and really, that's all she cared about right now.

"Hey Nick," she smiled back, not wanting to cause a scene and so she went along with it. "What are you guys doing here?" She glanced over her shoulder, finding his friends just watching, a look that she knew all too well. They were heading out somewhere and she wouldn't hear from him for at least a few days.

"We are heading out for the day, might camp overnight somewhere. I'll shout out to ya when we work it out?" He kissed her again, not even bothering to wait for her reply, just moved back to his friends and went on his way. She wanted to say she was surprised about his behaviour, wanted to say that she hadn't expected it but this was normal and she wasn't surprised.

She huffed, standing in the driveway to the garage as she watched her sort-of boyfriend drive away with a screech of tires, her arms crossed over her chest. She stood there for a moment, her face downcast, annoyance seeping in until her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling it out she smiled, Matt had sent her a text, a smiley face sticking it's tongue out and a reply to her original question.

Suddenly the annoyance she was feeling towards Nick slowly seeped away, her full attention turning to Matt and the conversation that started immediately after that. Thinking suddenly that she was spending more and more time looking forward to hearing from Matt than Nick.

 **Was it worth the wait? I hope so :D Please review!**


	6. Regaining Unconsciousness

**Ok so I know the first part of this is probably very out there and kinda out of place but there is a reason for it that will come up in the next few chapters. I had this finished already but then I thought of something that I felt needed to go in to make sure the rest of the story made a bit more sense.**

 **I don't know how I feel about this chapter, I don't actually think it flows well and I struggled with it. So please let me know what you all think?**

 **Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I am so glad that you are all enjoying this, I hope next chapter adds to the excitement.**

 **An extra long chapter to make up for how long it has taken to post this.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Regaining Unconsciousness**

Gabby jumped out of the side of the ambo, glancing around her she found ambo 61, Squad 3 and Truck 51 already on scene. They had been called as backup to a shooting in a building, police surrounding the area, telling people to stay back. It was a gang shooting, something that sadly wasn't unusual in Chicago, mostly turf wars, most of the time getting way out of hand, sending people to the hospital, fire trucks getting shot and the police scrambling to keep the peace.

"Hey kid…" Gabby looked up to find Antonio standing at her side, he looked tired, she knew he had been working long hours on a gang case and it was clear that this is what he was working on.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, seeing Kelly, Boden and Matt walking their way, no doubt wanting to get as much information as possible from Antonio. "Hey, what's going on?"

Antonio turned towards the building, hearing people calling out, screaming for the police to go all the while hearing gunshots echoing through. "Red Kings and the K&A's have spilled their war onto the streets, we don't know what started this but it's clear that it might take a while for it to stop. Be careful, we don't know how many of them are out here waiting for their chance…" He sighed, sending a nod in Chief Boden's direction before walking back towards his bosses, needing to keep the updates coming for all those concerned.

"Alright, you heard him, let's back it up and make sure we are on high alert. Medics stand by 51, get ready if needed." He looked towards Gabby and her partner, making sure they understood what he was asking, but it didn't need to be said, they were already on their way, following Matt towards his truck to be ready if anyone came out alive.

More gunshots echoed through the building, some falling into the street below, fire fighters, police and paramedics alike ducking for cover, bullets ricocheting off the ground, one lodging itself into the side of 51. "Cruz! Move the truck!" Matt called out as they ducked for cover; he liked his truck in one piece and without holes.

"Everyone alright!?" Matt's voice sounded through the radio, a sound off of the other's tell him they were ok. Gabby glancing over to Matt, who had been watching her. "Dawson, you good?" She just nodded, it wasn't the first time they had been involved with something like this but being shot at was always something that terrified her.

They moved close to each other, Boden and Kelly making their way over to them to try and organise the best way to approach this scene, they couldn't guarantee that no one inside wasn't injured and it was their job to attend to anyone who was. As they got closer, another round of bullets sprayed down onto the street, aiming for the police but falling everywhere. Kelly and Boden ducked away again, calling out for everyone else to move out the way.

Matt had just reached Gabby's side, hearing the ringing sound of each shot, he pulled her into his arms, before dropping them both to the ground, rolling under the truck to shelter themselves. "Are you alright?" He had heard Gabby cry out in his arms when he pulled her down with him, she was shaking slightly, like any normal person would, she was scared, it was natural.

Nodding against his chest, Gabby held onto him for a moment, "Yeah, I'm alright…thank you…" She looked up at him, realising then that he was on his back, her wrapped tightly in his arms, her hands and head against his chest. After a few moments Matt rolled them both out the other side of the truck, helping her up.

Antonio was by their side instantly, making sure Gabby was all right. "You guys better be careful, the gang wars are spilling onto the street more and more. Be careful out there." When he was sure that Gabby was all right, he nodded towards the scene in front of them.

It was true, the medics had been attending more and more shootings recently, all of them tied to one gang or another. It was getting a little terrifying being out on the streets but the medics and the fire fighters braved on, not showing how worried they were getting.

* * *

Gabby groaned as she leaned against Shay, the warm air around them whistling through the trees as they watched the boys play some touch football with the kids. They had met up for a day in the park with Hermann and his family, Matt, Kelly, Shay and Gabby needing the day away from work, from the bar and from their lives. "I wish I could stay here forever," she mumbled as she leaned against Shay's back, finding a comfy spot as her new best friend lay on her stomach.

"This was such a good idea…we need to do this more often…" Cindy has taken a seat next to the two girls, laughing as she watched her only daughter take on her brothers and win as she ran from their reach, Hermann clapping and encouraging her as she went. "The kids love doing things like this." She smiled again as she watched Matt and Kelly reach out for her kids, trying to stop them from crossing the line and yet failing miserably.

Rolling onto her side, Gabby smiled, "I could not have asked for a better day, thank you so much for the invite." But it wasn't needed, the moment Shay had mentioned having a picnic, Gabby was the second person she had called, mainly because Matt had already agreed to go and she was trying to set her friends up. Gabby just didn't know this.

It had been a tough month for both firehouses, they had both lost patients on calls, a sombre mood spreading over each house, neither really knowing about the other, both struggling with their own problems. It was no secret that Matt had been affected by their most recent bad call, he hadn't made it to a woman in time, they found out later that she had two children who would never see their mother again.

It had been tough on him, being so close and yet so far, he had watched her fall as the floor had given way, he was inches from her, his hand outstretched but he just hadn't gotten there in time. He blamed himself, holed himself up in his office for the rest of the day, telling people he was working on his paper work, tell them he was fine.

But he wasn't, even the text messages from Gabby wasn't cheering him up and like always she knew something was wrong, he just wouldn't tell her. Even now, as they had sat next to each other eating he had been distant, vague, off in his own world as he stared at the children playing with their parents and when she had asked him how he was, he would just cut her off abruptly and walk away, telling her he was fine.

Gabby knew Matt well enough to know not to push him, he would open up when he was ready she just worried about him. So the picnic had been a great idea, something to take them away from the pain of work and just enjoy their time together as friends.

But for Matt it wasn't just about what had happened on shift, as he spoke more and more with Gabby, he could tell his feelings for her were growing and he knew she was unavailable so he began to distance himself as much as possible, sure he had become one of her closes friends, but when she pulled him in for a tight hug, whispering in his ear that everything was going to be ok, it became too much for him, he needed to right himself before he held onto her forever and ruined their friendship.

Because in the end, as long as he had her friendship, he would be happy.

And then there was Hallie. He had even invited her along to the CFD dinner that was happening in a few weeks. At first he wasn't quite sure why he had asked her but as he thought more about being with Gabby he realised he had to move on. And Hallie had come back into his life, making him smile and remember all the good times they had together.

And so he had asked her to be his date, she had gladly accepted with a light kiss and a smile, letting him forget about Gabby for just one moment. Don't get him wrong, Matt was excited about going to the dinner with her, they had spent so many hours together over the last 9 years having fun, enjoying life and enjoying each other and so he was looking forward to having that in his life again.

"So Gabby…are you going to the CDF dinner next week?" Cindy look over to Gabby, who had now sat up, finding Shay's butt to be too uncomfortable as a permanent pillow. It was clear to both the ladies that Matt and Gabby had something but they both also knew that she was involved with Nick.

Gabby smiled, "Yeah I am. Nick and I are going…but we have to sit at my house table…" She gave Cindy a face, she hated that she had to sit with the rest of 105 and couldn't sit with those from 51 but it was supposed to be a firehouse dinner as well and so spending more time with people you see almost everyday was required. But she had Nick going with her, it made it all a little better.

Shay nodded, interested to know if Nick would actually turn up but also what would happen during the night with Matt and Gabby. She was playing matchmaker, she couldn't help herself, she just hoped that they would come to their senses because it was clear that they cared deeply about each other.

"Hey man, you going to the dinner next week?" Kelly looked over at Matt, watching his friend nod but keep his eye on the kids, "You going with someone?" Kelly Severide wasn't the sort of person who would usually get involved with other people's lives like this but he had seen the way Matt would light up around Gabby, he was just trying to get a little bit of information out of his friend to understand what was going on.

Matt glanced to his side, he hadn't really told Kelly – who is his best friend – that he had been in touch with Hallie again, that they had been spending time together again, he knew that Kelly would probably be against it, he knew how much Matt had been hurting after he and Hallie had broken up the last time, Matt didn't need a lecture about it.

His silence caught Kelly's attention, "Are you going with Hallie?" Matt turned around, raised eyebrow, wondering how the hell Kelly picked it, he hadn't even told him that he and Hallie had gone out on a date. Groaning, Kelly swung his head to the side, "Oh come on man! You can't be serious!" He couldn't believe it, Matt had been a mess after his breakup with Hallie and now he was being pulled right back into it all again.

"Come on man, its not that bad, Hallie and I…" He looked away, remembering how much fun they used to have together, "…we had a lot of fun together." He shrugged, _fun_ wasn't what he was looking for but he was looking forward to going to the dinner with Hallie, it would be fun. Kelly just shook his head at Matt, glancing over his shoulder to Gabby, it was clear to him that there was more to their relationship that even they would admit to, he just hoped that it wouldn't get to messy for them both.

* * *

Shay and Gabby stood by the bar laughing, "Oh come on! It can't have been that bad?" Shay couldn't believe the stories that Gabby was telling her about, how terrible the shifts had been at the other house, how much she wished to get out of there. "How good would it be if you were at 51 with us?" There had been talk of Brett heading back to her home, her mother had been sick and she wanted to go home.

"Yeah that would be fun, we could get into all sorts of mischief." Gabby laughed, throwing her arm over Shay's shoulder, "Well more than what we get into now…" They had gotten up to a few different things together, mostly just enjoying time together, doing things that weren't dangerous per se, just fun.

Shay pulled Gabby towards 51's table; she knew Gabby needed to get away from those at the 105. "Look what I found." She called out as they got to the table, each looking up and cheering when they saw Gabby, her eyes landing on Matt instantly, smiling when she noticed how good he looked in his suit.

"Dawson! You look great!" Cruz called out, Otis chiming in with "It's good to see you." Hermann and Cindy following with another compliment about how she looked. It was great to be among friends, she didn't get a chance to do that much.

"Thanks guys, you all look great!" She looked down at Matt who hadn't said a word, his eyes wide and his mouth open ever so slightly, he was staring at her, unsure of what to say, blown away by how incredible she looked, she watched him swallow a few times, very unsure of himself. A wide smile coming to her lips, everyone did look amazing. With another chair pulled to sit by Shay, Gabby spent as much time at that table as possible, talking and laughing and being introduced to the dates she didn't know.

She tried her best to ignore the fact that Matt was there with Hallie, tried to ignore that they were together, but he looked happy and she was glad for that, she just hadn't expected the deep ache in the bottom of her stomach when she saw them together.

* * *

"You know, why don't you go and ask her to dance…" Hallie nodded towards Gabby, who had moved back to her own table as dinner was being served. Matt looked up, a little shocked, Hallie was telling him to go and ask Gabby to dance? But Hallie knew that Matt and Gabby were good friends and so he smiled, placed a light kiss on her cheek and moved his way over to 105's table.

"Are you lost Casey?" He hadn't even made it over to the table before Welch spoke, everyone else looking up to find Matt headed their way. It was then that he noticed that she was sitting next to an empty chair, plate unused and glass clean, Nick no where to be seen. He had seen Gabby sitting quietly, her head down, not involved in conversation or looking very interested in being there.

Swallowing down the anger that he suddenly felt, Matt come to Gabby's side, ignoring the sniggers and comments that were being thrown around, his hand outstretched to Gabby, "Care to dance?" A light blush crept over her cheeks as he asked, Matt almost tripping over himself as to how beautiful she was tonight. Gabby nodded, resting her hand in his, she didn't even look back at the table, her eyes connect with Matt's, never breaking the stare.

Matt placed his hand inside Gabby's, leading her to the dance floor where he sucked in a breath, what was he doing? She was absolutely stunning, his heart was racing just being near her and Hallie was standing by their table watching. He shouldn't be asking her to dance, no actually, he shouldn't be feeling the way he was about her right now, but hadn't stopped thinking about her since he had seen her.

Turing around slowly, Matt placed his hand on her hip, feeling his own hands shake, he hoped she didn't feel it against her side. But she just smiled at him, her hand resting in his still, the other placed gently on his shoulder, their bodies so close that he was sure she could feel his heartbeat.

They moved slowly to the music, just smiling, enjoying their time together. Gabby was sure her whole body was shaking, having Matt so close to her, she had forgotten all about the bullshit she had been through earlier in the night, having him by her side was all she really wanted. Swallowing deeply, Gabby decided to speak, hoping that would break the nervousness between them, "This is nice…it's been a while since I've seen you." It was true since the picnic, they hadn't seen much of each other, Matt still being a little distant and Gabby not wanting to push him too much.

He sighed, dropping his head, he hated that she had noticed that he was taking a step away from her, but had decided that how he felt didn't Matt, her friendship meant the most to him. "Yeah I know Gabs, I'm sorry about that, I've just been all over the place recently. But it's all good…I've missed you…" He shouldn't have said that.

But Gabby smiled again, "Well I'm glad coz I've missed you too. My days aren't nearly as entertaining as they used to be when we would talk all the time." Her smile grew wider, remembering all the times she had laughed over something he had said or done or told her about. "You know I'm always around if you need anything though, right?" She wanted to make sure he knew that if he needed to talk, she was there for him

This made him calm down a little, happy that she missed him too, it was just a one-way feeling. He nodded, he knew he could always go to her if he needed anything; it was hard when the thing that had him all over the place was _her_. "Yeah I know…likewise…" She knew as well, she had come to him on a few occasions, needing someone to talk to and he was always there for her, instantly.

"You really do look amazing by the way…" He hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her the whole time she was sitting by his side at the table, the way the dress clung to her body, the soft curls of her hair that stayed free of the messy bun she had put it in and the simple make up that light up just the right places.

He had made her blush, a redness coming over her cheeks that you could see even with her dark skin. She dropped her head, "Thanks Matt. You clean up well too…" She had stopped in her tracks when she had seen him dressed up for the first time. He just looked _too_ good in his suit and clean-shaven. Although she did like it when he didn't shave, the stubble looked good on him.

Silence fell over them after a moment, just enjoying the music and each other's company, something that they wanted more of. "So ah…I thought Nick was supposed to come with you tonight." It wasn't lost on Matt that Gabby had been sitting by herself at the table and it wasn't lost on him that she didn't look happy, at least not when she wasn't with the members of 51.

Gabby scoffed, shaking her head a little, "Yeah well so did I…" She sighed again, thinking back to an hour before the dinner had started.

" _Hey Nick just wondering how far off you are?" Gabby was ready, dressed, hair done, makeup done, she was excited for tonight, excited to be spending time with her boyfriend, excited about seeing the members of 51, Shay and Matt especially. She just now had to find out where Nick was. She was sitting on her couch, waiting patiently for him to pick her up._

 _There was a small silence on the other end of the phone line; clearly he was doing something else while talking to her. "Oh yeah babes I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to make it. They guys are heading out tonight and I told them I would go with them." There it was, the same statement he would use on more than one occasion, the same line he had been feeding her every time he bailed on their plans._

 _But this was different, she had paid for the ticket, this was not just a dinner that they could reschedule or meet up afterward, this was her work function dinner and all she asked of him was one night, one night where he would spend the night with her only. "You're joking?" She huffed, now mad, "I asked you for one thing Nick. One night of just the two of us and I couldn't even get that from you!" She stood up, her hands shaking with anger._

" _Come on Gabby, it's not that big of a deal. You knew I didn't really want to go anyway." He sounded to cavalier about it, like it really didn't bother him that he was actually breaking her heart._

" _But this was never about you Nick. This was about me. I asked you to come with me to_ my _work dinner. I am tired of always being the one bailed on-"_

" _Hey calm down Gabby. I'll come over after the dinner to see you." But she wasn't having any of it._

" _You know what Nick. Don't bother. Stop by tomorrow and there will be a box out the front with your things in it. I am not going to be the third wheel in our own relationship anymore. We are done." If you were still about to slam a phone onto it's receiver, that is what would have happened next._

 _Gabby was beyond furious, she had had enough of his shit, all the times he would just come over for sex, all the times she would be bailed on or he would chose his friends over her. It wasn't just that it happened occasionally, it was all the time and she knew she deserved better._

 _Standing in her living room, Gabby huffed, part of her wanting to scream and cry and throw something but the other part of her finally feeling happy. She didn't have to worry about him anymore, she didn't have to always feel sad or bad when he would bail out of things they had planned to do._

 _She just now had to work out how to get the dinner without her ride…_

"Yeah well so did I…" She shrugged as she looked away from Matt, knowing what was coming next.

Hearing that Nick had once again stood her up, it was infuriating to him. "Are you telling me bailed again?" It didn't need to be said but she nodded anyway, "Oh Gabs, I'm sorry…when did you find out about him not coming?" He was afraid of this answer. She felt him tense in her arms, it really did bother him when Nick hurt her.

He watched her shoulders drop, not wanting to answer, "I was waiting for him to pick me up and I called him to see how far off he was…that's when he told me he wasn't coming. That the _guys_ were going out and he wanted to go with them." She hated telling Matt, he would always look at her with pity, knowing how much it hurt her to be stood up all the time.

"Why the hell are you still with that guy Gabby?" He was getting angry, not at Gabby, but at Nick and at the situation he put her in. "You deserve so much better than that! He isn't good enough for you Gabby, he doesn't deserve you…" He was about to go off on a tangent about what she deserved and how he would never be the sort of man she deserved.

But she stopped him, shrugging her shoulders, "It doesn't matter now. I told him we are over." She didn't want to focus on Nick anymore, she had broken up with him, it was done.

But that wasn't enough for Matt, "Oh Gabby…you are one of the most amazing people I have met, you have no idea how beautiful you are. You deserve someone who will give the world…" His voice had dropped to a whisper, the world, the music and the rest of the patrons in the hall falling away from them, leaving them alone, in their own little world.

Gabby looked up at Matt, blinking back the tears he was causing as he spoke those words, it had been a very long time since a guy had been that kind to her, since someone had said something so nice to her, only made worse when he leaned his head down close to hers, his lips inches from hers, "You deserve someone who treats you like you are his whole world…who knows you inside and out, even when you don't say anything…someone who can read you and knows exactly what to do to make you smile…"

He was so close to her now, they had stopped moving, stopped dancing, standing in the middle of that room, they stared at each other. Gabby wanted to speak, wanted to open her mouth but all she could do was glance down at his lips, wanting so bad to feel them against hers, it was clear he wanted the same thing, his eyes flashing to her lips as well before meeting her eyes again.

It would have been so easy for her to reach up for him. It would have been so easy for him to lean down that little further. But easy was never written into their stories.

Suddenly Gabby pulled away, her heart racing, hands shaking, it was physically painful for her to have pulled away from him just then but that pain wasn't nearly as bad as the realisation that she had almost kissed him, that she wanted to kiss him desperately but couldn't. She had no idea how she had snapped out of it but Hallie flashed through her mind.

Hallie was his girlfriend; Hallie was his date for the night…Hallie was _there_. Watching them dance, watching her almost kiss him, watching him almost kiss her. Taking a step away from him, she shook her head, "I'm sorry Matt, I can't do this…" brushing passed him, she made her way towards the exit, needing to get out of there as quick as possible, not even slowing down when he called her name, trying to get her to come back.

What the hell had she been thinking? How screwed up was she really to have almost kissed her best friend while his girlfriend was in the room?

Hallie watched from the side as Matt and Gabby danced, yes it was her idea for them to dance, but she didn't expect to see him looking at her like that. In fact he had spent the whole dinner glancing in her direction, silently watching her, it was clear he had feelings for her, and she for him. Sighing she crossed her arms over her chest, their slow movements, their gently touches, the fact that both of them looked like they were desperate to kiss the other.

And then it was gone, Gabby was brushing passed Matt quickly, heading for the exit, Matt standing there staring as she left, shocked, confused. Hallie could see it all from the side of the dance floor, she just wondered how she hadn't seen it before.

* * *

What the hell was Gabby thinking? How could she let that almost happen, she had almost kissed Matt, she had almost let him kiss her and Hallie was in the room, no doubt watching them both. Not only that, he was one of her best and closest friends, was she willing to put that in jeopardy with a relationship that might not work?

Slipping past him quickly, Gabby ducked her head, heading for her table where she grabbed her purse and jacket before making a beeline for the door. She was leaving, she had to get out of there, she needed air and she needed to get away from Matt.

Thankfully a cab was not far off, taking her home where she would be more comfortable. In the back of the cab, Gabby sighed. She had feelings for Matt, she wanted to have kissed him, wanted it to be them, she really did but there was so much more going on than just the possibility of a simple relationship.

They had work to consider and their friends and then there was Hallie. Matt and Hallie were in a relationship and as much as it hurt her to know that, he was happy, Hallie was making Matt happy in a way that Gabby clearly couldn't.

Part of her hated him at that moment, he had let things go to far, initiating the movements while they were dancing, he had known that Hallie was there and yet, he still went further than he should have.

And then she was angry with herself, for letting herself believe that it could go any further than that. But they were friends, she cared about their friendship too much to have something ruin it, even if he wanted more; she wasn't good with relationships, her past failures proving all to clearly how bad she was at them and Matt meant too much to her to lose him over a relationship that wasn't going to work in the first place.

With one foot in front of the other, Gabby made her way up to her apartment after being dropped off by the cab, letting herself in, she looked down at the box of Nick's belongings by the front door; just another example of a ruined relationship – granted he was a dick, it still showed another relationship that was now non-existent.

* * *

"You and Gabby are close huh?"

Matt's head snapped up at the sound of her voice, he had some how found himself sitting on the balcony, the cool air around him, lost in thoughts of gabby and how he felt about her and how much he had wanted to kiss her and tell her how he felt.

He did feel bad, he had left Hallie on her own, thankful that at least she knew the guys from 51 so she wasn't ad actually alone. Look up, he found her standing by his side, looking out over the balcony to the Chicago skyline.

He sighed, how did things get so screwed up with him? He was seeing Hallie again, Gabby had, up until tonight had a boyfriend and he had tried and wanted to kiss her, while Hallie was in the room. He didn't know what to say to her, how do you have this conversation with someone? He had asked her to the dinner. He had been the one to seek her out after realising that his feelings for Gabby weren't going to be reciprocated.

Had Hallie just been a rebound?

No, he did care about her, honestly thinking that there would always be a small part of him that would always love her, but gabby had always been the one on his mind.

"It's ok Matt." If there was one thing matt could always say about Hallie is that she was fair. Any other girl would probably be freaking out and hysterical to have seen what she had seen but she wasn't. She knew matt well enough to know that whatever was going on in his head and his heart was killing him. To not have control of his feelings and to be unsure of himself.

She sat beside him, her hand resting on his knee. "I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time. She clearly makes you happy..." She wants to be angry but Hallie honestly couldn't be. She had been thinking a lot about being with matt and she wasn't sure that it wouldn't end the way it had the last time.

She knew that he wanted a family and kids and she didn't, was she kidding herself when she had agreed to go to the dinner with him? "Hallie I-"

But she smiled, shaking her head, "Really Matt, it's ok. I remember when you used to look at me the way you look at Gabby but I honestly don't think that you looked at me with quite as much love as you look at her with." This caused his head to snap up, surprised at the small smile on her face.

Did he love Gabby? He probably wasn't fair off it but he couldn't say it, knowing that it would probably make him feel worse. "I think you should go to her Matt. Tell her how you feel..." He still hadn't said a word; he didn't know what to say. What was there to say?

Leaning over slowly, Hallie placed a kiss against his cheek, "I'll see you around matt. You deserve all the happiness in the world." And then she left, leaving him sitting on his own, in the darkness, thinking about how he had screwed up and how he needed to fix it.

* * *

He remembered this door, remembered the last time he had stood out the front of it, waiting for her to answer.

 _The door swung open quickly, it was clear that gabby was excited, how can someone tell that someone else is excited by the way they open a door? That's crazy right? Until he saw her standing there, wide, bright smile...she was excited. "Oh Matt! Come in, come in!"_

 _She had all but pulled him into her new apartment, too excited to hold back the smile. She wanted to show him everything, wanted to tell him about her plans for the apartment and each room. Maybe even ask his opinion on a few things._

 _He had found this her new apartment wasn't far from 51, which meant it was only about 15 minutes from his place. Stepping inside the apartment he found that it was pretty bare, enough for her to live on but it was clear that there were still so many things that she needed to get._

 _It was cosy, very Gabby Dawson though, the living room flowed into the kitchen, a kitchen that he knew gabby had been very specific about when she had been looking, it had to be exactly what she was after._

 _"So what do you think?" She stood behind him, her hands by her sides, she looked nervous, waiting to see what he thought._

 _He dropped his smile from his face for a moment "Were you robbed? ..." He turned to her, pulling a face only to have her slap his arm, "Ha ha Mathew..." But he pulled her into his side so she couldn't hit him again, "I love it Gabs, this place is great!" And with his arm around her shoulder, Gabby lead Matt through the rest of the apartment, telling him about what sorts of things that she wanted to buy and how she wanted to set up the rooms._

 _He couldn't get enough of the excitement in her eyes, her voice and her eyes. She was like a schoolgirl, and he loved her see her that way._

And now he stood on the other side of that door, a completely situation as he waited, trying to find the courage to knock, trying to think of what he would say to her, what he would do. He hadn't even realised he had knocked until he heard the slow, painful sounds of then latches being unlocked, the door swinging open carefully.

He hoped her hesitance at opening the door as because she hadn't checked who was there, not because she had seen him and didn't want to answer it. There he stood, still in his suit and tie, looking down at gabby who was now dressed in tack pants and a singlet top, her make up off and her formally pinned back hair now sat in curls down her back and over her shoulders.

She may have looked stunning at the dinner, but here she looked beautiful, incredible and sexy. She also looked pissed. "What are you doing here Matt?" She crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him closely. God she was firey.

He blinked for a moment; whatever he had planned to say was none existent now. Her raised eyebrow and straight face, bringing him back. "I was hoping we could talk..."

She sighed, dropping her head, she was debating whether or not to let him in, that much was clear. "Look Matt, can we just forget about it? I-"

Most of the time, most people would describe Matthew Casey as reserved and smart, in control of himself and every situation he finds himself in. But tonight, standing there at Gabby's door, those people would be wrong.

He was no reserved, he was not smart or in control of himself or the situation. He was completely crazy and he knew that what he did next we completely crazy. Taking a step forward, matt silences gabby as his lips descended onto hers, crushing them together in a kiss that clearly took her breath away.

She was shocked at first, standing still and unsure of herself but that was only for a moment, until she reacted, this kiss, his lips, were everything she had wanted, everything she had thought about. And it was better than what she ever thought possible.

Standing in her doorway, his hands on both her cheeks, their lips moving together, it was everything she wanted.

But couldn't have.

* * *

 **Oh such a happy end to the chapter…right? :I**


	7. Wasteland

**Sorry for the wait guys but thank you all for the reviews/favourites/alerts that are still coming for this story and for the last chapter! 16 reviews are amazing! Thank you so much.**

 **I have been trying to smash out as much of these chapters as possible but I have been also studying for my upcoming fire fighters tests, so sadly that has taken up a fair bit of time but hopefully I sit them soon which will then give me more time to write!**

 **Oh man, I didn't realise that it has been THIS long since I updated last…now I feel really terrible** **Please review! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Wastelands**

"Wait what do you mean he kissed you?" Shay couldn't believe what Gabby had just told her. They had been cleaning out the ambo for the last 15 minutes, complete silence taking over them, it was clear to Shay that Gabby was in her own world and she didn't want to force her into opening up about whatever had been bothering her, but in the end, she didn't need to push, Gabby had just come out and said the one thing that Shay didn't think she would.

Gabby sighed, sitting back against the gurney. "Exactly what I said Shay. He kissed me." She huffed, she hated that Shay had made her say it more than once, or maybe she was more annoyed at her reaction to him kissing her that was making this all that much worse.

Shay thought for a moment, she wanted to smile and laugh and cheer but it was clear by Gabby's face that the night didn't end in hot sexy fun. Sitting by her friend's side, Shay leaned forward, "So happened?" Gabby looked so sad that she worried that something terrible happened.

Swallowing deeply, Gabby sighed…

 _Matt pulled away slowly, his breath coming in fits, a smile tugging at the his lips as he placed his forehead against Gabby's, "Wow…" he swallowed, smiling a little more when he noticed that Gabby's cheeks were red, her eyes still closed and her chest rising and falling quickly, "…that was-"_

" _So wrong."_

 _Well that wasn't what he had expected. Pulled away he watched her, his hands falling from her face to his sides like they had suddenly turned to lead. Had she really just said that the kiss was wrong? He would have thought he was hearing things but as her eyes opened slowly, he could see that there wasn't happiness there. Only sadness. Matt felt as though a tone of bricks had fallen on him, his heart and his stomach felt heavy._

 _His face must have scrunched, confusion etching into the lines on his forehead, "I don't-" He really didn't understand, he really didn't know what to say, she was serious, she had really thought the kiss was wrong._

 _Finally she looked at him, her lips parted slightly, as if to speak but nothing came out, nothing was right to say after those two words she had said. They stared at each other for a few more moments before Matt dropped his head, swallowing back the lump that had formed in his throat at the thought of her rejection. Had he really been that wrong about them?_

" _I should go…" He whispered, not able to bring himself to look at her, although he hesitated for a moment, hoping maybe, just maybe, that Gabby would tell him to stay, that she would call him back, say his name, say that he should stay, say_ something _. But she didn't._

 _And so with his head down, fighting back tears, he walked back to his truck, sighing deeply as he replayed those two words over and over in his head, the sound of her voice, the look in her eyes. Her rejection hurt, more than he was ever expecting it to._

 _Gabby watched him go, watching as his frame moved slowly through the hallway and out the door, hearing it thump closed as he let it fall, not even bothering to stop the noise. She felt horrible, she hadn't meant to say that it was wrong; but the kiss was not_ right _either._

 _Matt was her best friend and she loved him, she had feelings for him that went beyond just simple friendship, she_ wanted _him, but she knew that starting something with him was a bad idea. She would mess it up, she always messed it up and she couldn't lose him._

 _What the hell was she thinking?_

 _How could she be thinking that she even had a chance to start something with him when he was with Hallie? That was the other reason why the kiss was so wrong, he was dating someone, he was in a relationship and so the kiss was wrong, it had to be wrong. Because it just_ couldn't _be right._

Shay just blinked, unsure of what to say. Gabby had looked miserable sitting by her side, it had hurt her so much to know she had hurt Matt the way she had. That he was angry and upset because of her. "Oh honey, it'll be alright…" She had known that Gabby had feelings for Matt, she was pretty sure everyone had seen it, especially at the dinner the week before, but she knew there was more to the story.

"I just…for one he is with Hallie…God Shay! What does that make me? A home wrecker? It makes him a cheater for kissing me! I'm not that and I won't turn him into that!" she was getting angry herself, her hands shaking in her lap. "I won't be that girl…"

Slipping her arm around Gabby's shoulders, Shay signed, "Honey, you're not a home-wrecker and it doesn't make him a cheater, he is just confused. He cares about you so much, he _loves_ you," With those last three words, Gabby looked away, there was no way she would believe that, "Having Hallie around again has really thrown him through a loop. Trust me, I haven't seem Matt as happy as I did when you guys were laughing and talking and being close like you were."

Gabby let her head fall to Shay's shoulder, "You didn't see his face Shay, he looked so hurt…" Shay just sighed, pulling Gabby close to her in a hug, unsure of what to say at that point.

Gabby had been called into work at 51 for the next month, Brett having requested some time off to deal with some family issues, she was back in her home state, which left a spot open at 51, Boden jumping on the chance to get Gabby to fill in. They had all been so happy to see her, cheering, clapping, laughing, the whole conference room erupting in happiness to know it would be Gabby would who there with him.

That was until she noticed Matt standing at the back of the room, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes downcast, he didn't look angry, he looked sad, he looked hurt, that made it all worse, it wasn't that he was angry with her, it was that she had hurt him.

It was now a week into her being at 51, two shifts down and it was clear that that pain she had caused wasn't going away. She would catch Matt watching, a sadness in his eyes that made her heart hurt. He barely spoke to her, they didn't laugh like that used to and she missed him, missed her best friend. Just missed having him in her life, but she couldn't blame him.

She had kissed him back that night, her hands tightening around his forearm and around his neck, desperate for more of the kiss but she had pushed him away, for good reason but she had still pushed him away.

Their coldness hadn't been lost on those around them, they had known how close they had gotten since saving her from that fire, but now it was like they didn't even know each other.

And Kelly had been the first to call Matt out on it at the same time Gabby was breaking down to Shay. "Hey man. What's going with you and Dawson?" He watched as Matt's back stiffened, he had been sitting at his desk all morning, finishing off paper work, but he hadn't gotten very far with it, he was still on the first page of the first report.

This was _not_ what he wanted to talk about, he had been ignoring her, ignoring Kelly and ignoring the looks he had been getting from everyone as they observed his interactions with Gabby – or lack there of. But it was clear, as Kelly stood in the doorway to Matt's office that he wasn't going to let up this time, he was going to stand there until Matt turned and looked at him, until he said something to him.

Slowly he turned in his chair, noticing Gabby and Shay walking into the bunkroom and then into the bathrooms, nothing spoken between them but neither looked happy. Matt watched her closely, Kelly watching him. "There is nothing going on Sev. Absolutely nothing…" He tired to turn away from Kelly, hoping that that would be enough for him but it wasn't.

He stepped into the room, closing the door and resting his back against the desk, waiting patiently for Matt to speak again. Rolling his eyes, he sided, leaning back in his chair, his hand running through his hair, "Fine. We danced at the dinner and I was so close to kissing her – I wanted to kiss her and I thought she wanted to it too. But she pulled away and left."

Kelly nodded at Matt, that wasn't the whole story, he knew it but seeing that Matt was this upset was really bothering him. That having been said, he had turned up at the dinner with Hallie, so why was he trying to kiss Gabby? "What about Hallie?"

It was almost as if Matt didn't want to answer that, but he did. "She came up to me after, told me to go to her. That it was obvious how I felt about her, so I did. I went to her apartment later that night, god I remember driving around for almost an hour, trying to find the courage to go there. I was going to tell her I had feelings for her, I _was_ going to ask her out, but I didn't…when I looked at her, I froze. And then I kissed her."

Kelly then raised an eyebrow at him. He had not expected to find out that Matt had kissed Gabby, he didn't think Matt would be that forward, clearly he was wrong. "And she kissed me back. And it was amazing. Sev, you have no idea…and then as we stood there, I smiled but she told me it was a mistake."

The deep frown on Matt's face hurt Kelly. He had seen the way Gabby looked at Matt, the way she laughed and smiled and joked and touched him, it was obvious how they felt about each other, so why would she think it was a mistake? "And that was it. I haven't spoken to her and I haven't even really looked at her since then. It just – it hurts too much."

Matt shrugged, what else did Kelly want him to say. Gabby had knocked him back, not that she had rejected him because she told him she didn't feel the same, which would have been another type of hurt, something that he would be able to live with. But she had told him that 'it was a mistake'. Now that was something that made him feel like he had had his heart ripped out.

She had thought the kiss was a _mistake_. How could something that felt _so_ amazing be a mistake? How could a kiss that she actively engaged in, be a mistake? Maybe that's what hurt the most, that he didn't know exactly what she had meant by that. It wasn't like he had hung around to hear her out. He had left pretty quickly after those words fell from her lips. Not wanting her to see the hurt in his eyes, not wanting to her see how much she had affected.

Kelly sat there, not really sure what to say. He wanted to help, wanted to tell him that it was going to be ok and that he would be ok, but Matt had looked so dejected when even telling him what had happened that he didn't really know if he could believe that it would be ok, "Maybe you just need to talk to her…"

Matt's face dropped, the look on his face telling Kelly that that was _not_ what he wanted to hear. He didn't want to talk to her; he didn't even want to face her.

* * *

"Hey Gabby, how ya doing?" Antonio walked up the garage of the firehouse, smiling at the fire fighters who were sitting at the table, Gabby kneeling by them, playing with Pouch. She looked up at her brother, very curious to know what he was doing there. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I was just wondering if I could have a chat with Casey that's all…Actually you will need to hear this as well." Her brother knew her so well that she didn't even need to speak; he could understand her question without a word.

"Severide, you too…" He had called ahead to tell Boden he would be in, needing to talk to all of them about the situation. Boden was already waiting for him in the common room. Kelly stood, waiting to see where Antonio would go after being sent to Casey.

She nodded over her shoulder towards the common room, an action not missed by Antonio that it was done without any form of excitement or joy. Deciding to brush it off, as he was there on police business, Antonio headed inside, greeting everyone as he went. "Hey Casey, you got a minute?" Matt looked up from his newspaper, nodding instantly before leading Antonio towards the conference room.

"What's up?" He was always a little concerned when Antonio showed up, it was usually something important and official, today wasn't any different, he was standing in a room with his chief and other Lieutenant and the paramedic in charge, this can't have been good.

He sighed, "I just wanted to keep you posted on the gang situation. but it's getting pretty bad man. So far this week we have had three calls to bystanders injured in the gunfights, but it gets worse, they are turning their targets on first responders. Mostly thinking it's the police but paramedics and fire fighters have been targeted."

Kelly glanced over at Matt, both understanding the gravity of the situation. He could see Gabby out of the corner of his eye, her face stoic and straight, but he could see the worry behind her eyes, the worry she wouldn't show outwards because she wanted to be strong for her friends, her family and her partner.

"I'm not telling you this so it alters how you do your job, you all just gotta be mindful when you're out. Especially you and Shay, Gabby. You two will be the first to most scenes and I really don't think I could handle finding out two paramedics were injured…" He placed his hand on her shoulder, he worried about her, she loved that about him.

"So what do we do?" Matt crossed his arms over his chest, he was thinking about his men, how some had wives, some had girlfriends, families, he wanted to be able to protect them, wanted to make sure that they went back to their families after shift.

But Antonio shook his head, "Nothing. There is nothing you can do. Just be vigilant on calls and make sure you check your surroundings. If it feels unsafe, call for CPD. They are on alert and expecting calls from CFD while this situation is getting out of hand." The CPD was doing their best to cover the fellow fire responders, but they all knew things were going to get worse before they got better.

Within a moment, Antonio received a called, leaving instantly, which left Matt, Gabby, Boden and Severide standing together. "We will inform the squads of what is going on and we will do everything we can to make sure every single one of you get back to your loved ones and families." Boden nodded to the group, leaving with Kelly as Matt and Gabby held eye contact for more than a second for the first time since the kiss.

Something about what Boden had said about loved ones and families struck a cord with both of them, neither wanting to look away. Until Matt did, he pushed himself from the table he was resting against, making his way past Gabby. He needed to get away from her, being near her, wanting to touch her was getting too much for him.

"Matt wait. Please…" She called out to him, the desperation in her voice enough to make him falter at the door, his stupid heart overriding his head. Slowly he turned to face her, his face straight. "Look about the other night, I'm sorry-"

But he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want some stupid excuse about how sorry she was that it happened or how sorry she was for what she had said. She had said it, she had meant it and that's why he couldn't bring himself to want to be near her. "Don't. You said all you needed to say that night. I get it. Let's just leave it at that."

He wanted to huff and walk away, storm off and leave her hurting like she had hurt him, but she looked sad, unsure of herself around him. "Look. Don't worry about it all right. It's fine." He tired a little smile, tried to get her to understand that it was alright, when they both knew it really wasn't. But his smile didn't touch his eyes, his smile didn't even cause a wrinkle in his cheek, a wrinkle that she loved to see, a wrinkle that made her heart swell when he smiled at her.

He turned from her, leaving her standing in the middle of the conference room, the side door banging as he let it go behind him. Groaning Gabby kicked the chair in front of her, watching it thump against the table, matching her current mood perfectly.

* * *

Gabby reached for her bag slowly as she finished packing up after shift, she was heading out to run some errands but also see her mum. It was her anniversary and every year Gabby would go there, sit by her tombstone and just talk to her, tell her about how her life was, how things were going.

Most of the time she wished for some advice from her mother, asking for a sign or something to help her through whatever problems she was having. But today was different, today she had asked Shay to go with her, wanting to introduce her to her mum.

She had felt weird at first, but Shay was a big part of Gabby's life and she wanted her mum to know she had someone in her life that she could count on, that she had found the best friend she had been needing. And Shay had jumped at the opportunity, wanting to know about Gabby's mother and also her life.

"Hey ma. I know it's been a while I'm sorry…" She placed her hand against the cold stone. "I've been crazy busy at work recently, I'm filling in at a better fire house now, it's been great." She smiled over to Shay who just watched, smiling back, "This is Shay. She had become a great friend and I wanted her to come and meet you."

At this point Shay stepped forward, "Hi Mrs Dawson. You have an amazing daughter. I don't think I have ever met someone who is a tough and strong minded as her. I am so happy we have found each other." She placed her arm over Gabby's shoulder, noticing the light tears that were rimming her eyes, "I'll look after her Mrs Dawson, I promise we won't get into too much trouble!"

Gabby laughed, "What do you think mum? I think you would have been sick of the two of us if were in high school! She is me…just blonde…and I know Tonio would have cringed at that thought." She laughed again, slowly sitting down on the grass, Shay following suit.

Gabby spoke to Shay about the times she did remember with her mother, stories that made her laugh, made her cry, all the things she wished her mother had been around for and all the times she wanted her mother to be the first to know about something that ha happened.

It was a bitter sweet few hours, laughter and tears, but it was a good day, something the two of them will hold on to forever.

* * *

"Matt?"

Matt looked up from his table, coffee in his hands, paper resting open. He had headed out after shift, tired from the long shift, tired from ignoring Gabby and tired from feeling horrible because she had rejected him. He just needed some time with his own thoughts; well at least that was what he was telling himself as he sat there.

In fact, Matt was just putting off going back to his home. It was large and quiet and he had woken up the night before shift form an amazing dream that had Gabby standing in his bedroom doorway, his shirt sitting against her thighs, cup of coffee in her hands.

" _You sleep like the dead, you know that?" She smirked as she moved close to him, her footsteps soft against the carpet._

 _Matt stretched, groaning slightly as he did, "Well…if my beautiful fiancé didn't keep me up all night, I wouldn't be so tired." He raised his eyebrow at her, watching as she giggled, sitting by his side._

Matt had woken up and looked to his side, finding his bedroom empty and quiet, no fiancé and no Gabby. He hated what she was doing to him, how much he wanted with her but couldn't have.

And there she was, standing in front of him, looking amazing in her dark jeans, her hair falling over her face, however she looked shy, unsure. God she was beautiful standing there, he couldn't bring himself to ignore her any more. "Hey Gabby." He kicked out the chair opposite him gently, motioning for her to sit, which she did, a small smile coming to her lips.

It had now been three weeks and counting since the kiss, three weeks of sideways glances and small conversations. She had tried to talk to him about it more than once, he had become her best friend, so she missed him, missed their conversations and laughter and just spending time together. "How have you been?" It was small conversation, Gabby wanting to start somewhere instead of jumping straight into what she wanted to say.

He shrugged, he had been neither here nor there, busy with work and jobs on his days off but there was nothing to write home about. "I've been alright, busy, which has been nice…" He watched as she nodded, sipping at her coffee cup. "And you?"

She smiled, "I've been alright, a few quiet days at home these days, not much going on really." She shrugged again, not really sure what to say to him.

Silence came over them, both wanting to say so much, but neither really wanting to open that can of worms. But Matt just had to ask the question didn't he? "So ah…I heard you and Nick broke up…you ok?"

Gabby watching him for a second, he looked genuinely sorry that they had broken up. She narrowed his eyes, "Yeah we did. Just wasn't gonna work…" She shrugged and looked away, how could he look at her with such sympathy, he was the one that said that Nick wasn't good enough for her.

"I'm sorry Gabby-" But she scoffed.

"You're sorry? Matt, don't you dare sit there and tell me you are sorry that my boyfriend and I broke up. Not too long ago you were telling me that I deserved better than what I got from him. You were standing in front of me, about to kiss me. You came to my door and you kissed me!" She was getting angrier, she shouldn't have been getting angrier but she was.

Matt blinked, he hadn't expected her to react the way she had but she did and he had to work out how to defuse the situation or else they were going to cause a scene and she was going to walk away from him. "No, Gabby…please…I never wanted you to see you upset and he made you upset but I never wanted to _see_ you upset…"

She laughed, "Do you hear yourself Matt?" She leaned forward, holding her coffee close, "Nick and I breaking up had nothing to do with you. I just had enough of his crap, I'd had enough of coming second to his friends. I know I deserve better Matt ok. I know that." Now she was frustrated with herself. Everything had told her, she knew to be true.

She knew she needed to get out the relationship, that she deserved better from the person who was supposed to love her, supposed to care for her, it was clear Nick didn't or if he did, he had a funny way of showing it. She sighed, "Why did you kiss me Matt?"

Was she really asking that question? Did she really not know why he kissed her?

To Gabby, Matt was her best friend and to have him feel the same away about her that she did for him, scared her. She wasn't any good with relationships, she hadn't had a serious on in a long time and Matt, he had been engaged! How could she compete with that? What if she wasn't good enough for him or he changed his mind.

Matt blinked again, how could she not see how he felt about her. He leaned forward, his hand touching hers, "Gabby I don't think I actually need to tell you why I kissed you that night. I kissed you because I wanted to, because I have been wanting to kiss you for so long now. I really care about you Gabby, I want-"

But she stopped him, a small smile tugging at the side of her lips, he didn't miss it, he saw it instantly. "Matt, we can't. You are my best friend…"

"How is that a reason why we can't be in a relationship?" This confused him; she confused him. There had been days where he was 100% sure she had feelings for him and there were days, like today, that he doubted himself. He really didn't like doubting himself.

"It's a reason because I'm not good at relationships Matt. You and Hallie have been together for 8 years Matt, you were engaged. Nick and I were together 3 years, and it was barely a relationship when were together. I can't lose you Matt; I can't lose you as my best friend because of my inability to make a relationship work."

He had never seen her this open, he had never seen her this vulnerable, the look in her eyes was killing him, she looked like this _hurt_ her to say. "You mean to much to me Matt to run the risk of ruining it. And you are still with Hallie. Come on Matt, she is your girlfriend, we shouldn't even be having this conversation!"

What was she saying? She can't be in a relationship with him because he was still with Hallie, he was happy with Hallie.

Hallie? Didn't she know they were broken up? Didn't she knew that Hallie was the main reason he had the courage to go to her apartment that night? In his moment of silence she had risen from her seat, making an direct line towards the door, he was losing her, but he wasn't going to let her get away that easily.

Standing quickly, his coffee mug forgotten, Matt followed her out, he wasn't going to get her go too easily this time, she had all but told him that she had feelings for him but it couldn't work. That was a cop out and he was going to make sure she knew it.

Catching up to her, Matt wrapped his hand around her arm, turning her back to face him, he noticed her face was red; she was trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. "What-"

And then it was the second time he crushed his lips down on hers, this time his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her towards him, his tongue running along her bottom him, Gabby leaning into him as she held on, savouring in the kiss that she had wanted to do again since the first time.

He lifted her slightly, her feet raising off the ground as she pulled him closer, she wasn't going to let him go now, wasn't going to let him walk away like she had done the first time. He wanted her, she wanted him and there was nothing that was going to stop them.

Slowly he pulled away, his eyes opening to find her staring up at him under her lashes, a gentle smile on her lips, "That was-"

Two loud pops echoes through the street, instantly sending people screaming, ducking under tables and into shops. Two more pop's followed, more scream and then pain. Gabby bit back a hiss as her hand raised to her shoulder, instant pain coming over her body, the redness of blood seeping through her fingers. But that was nothing to the sight in front of her.

Matt stood there, his face straight, a look of shock staring back at her. It was as if nothing was wrong though, as if it were a normal day, except the small red patch on his shirt, a trickle of blood melting into his shirt. "Matt?" her pain was forgotten immediately as his body crumpled to the floor, falling forward against her as she cried out, calling to him, calling for help, calling for someone to call for an ambulance.

She was shaking as she pressed her hands against his chest, his breathing was shallow and he was just watching her, his eyes focused on her face and nothing else around him.

 **Oh no…**

 **I hope the flow is all right, I'm not sure if it feel too disjointed or now. Please let me know what you all think! :D**


	8. Where I Belong

**Slightly shorter chapter than the rest sadly, got a bit stuck and not sure how I feel about this one.**

 **Anywho, please let me know what you all think, I love to hear thoughts and feelings and idea. It's great! I am sorry this has taken so long to be updated, I have been busy but I promise I am writing as much as possible for you all!**

 **I hope you are still enjoying this one!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - Where I Belong**

Scrubbing her hands roughly, Gabby sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall, the pain she felt in her shoulder almost becoming too much. She hadn't told anyone she was injured, she was more concerned about Matt, he had been so lifeless in her arms, his eyes empty, his body going limp as she did her best to keep him alive, her hands stained with his blood. He had looked straight at her, his eyes searching hers until, with a small smile, they slipped closed.

She stared at herself in the mirror as she tried to clean off the dried blood that was run up her arms. As she stood there her eyes connected with the blood that had dotted over her face, the spray covering her cheek, her eye, her forehead. She looked a mess, she looked terrified and broken and honestly like something out of a movie. Her face was pale, the usually dark skin filling her cheeks was now light, all the colour draining away as she tried to clean herself up.

Sniffing deeply she rubbed her hands over her face, watching the blood crumble away, running down the sink as it diluted with the water, had she always had blood on her face? Had she been in the ambulance with blood of her face? She had been holding onto Matt's hand tightly as the medics worked on him, almost covered in his blood. That thought made her sick, not because it was his blood or that she was dirty, but that he had lost that much blood, the injury had been so bad that it had actually caused her to be sprayed with blood

Slowly she moved her hands under the water again, watching as they started to shake, the weight of what had happened hitting her full force, a sob escaping her lips, her tears finally falling. She leaned against the sink, her stomach tightening at the realisation.

Matt was in hospital; Matt was fighting for his life; Matt had been shot. How could this happen?

"Gabby?"

She looked up in the mirror, Hallie staring right back at her, concern etched into her face. She had seen Gabby head towards the bathrooms but hadn't seen her come out in a little while. Gabby's red eyes shine through the mirror towards Hallie, rimmed with tears, her body leaning against the basin to keep herself upright, she sighed, "I'm sorry..."

But Hallie shook her head, rushing to her side, her hand touching Gabby's shoulder, "This is not your fault. You have nothing to apologise for." But that was as Gabby glanced down at her hands, still shaking from the adrenaline and fear that was running through her, Matt's blood still splattered over her skin, it seemed as though nothing was going to get that blood off, nothing that she did would ever erase the image of his blood on her skin. Hallie may not think she had anything to be sorry for but Gabby knew she did.

Not only had Matt been with her when he had been shot, but she had kissed him. God she had let him kiss her and she and kissed him back, knowing full well that he and Hallie were together, but that didn't seem to matter now, she reached out for Gabby, Hallie's hands touching her shoulders, forcing Gabby to look her in the eyes.

"Gabby, you have nothing to apologise for ok. This is not your fault, what happened-" Then she stopped, her words falling from her mouth halted as she looked at Gabby, noticing something was wrong. "What happened?" She searched Gabby's face, moving down her neck until her eyes landed on Gabby's shoulder. "Gabby?" it was gently, calm, but Gabby could tell she was worried. Slowly Hallie moved Gabby's shirt from her shoulder, finding the dry blood and painful looking wound.

"I guess the bullet hit me too…" she wanted to shrug but now that everything had started to wear off, the pain in her shoulder had started to set in, the ache in her arm and the tingling in her fingers. "I was just so worried about Matt…" Gabby sniffed again; another set of tears forming in her eyes.

Slowly Hallie guided Gabby towards the doorway, bringing her to another trauma room, making sure it was as close to the rest of 51 waiting outside. The whole house hadn't spoken a word since Matt had been brought into the hospital, all just sitting around, terrified and in silence, shock taking over the whole group as they sat there, staring at walls or floors or their laps.

As they moved towards another room, they were stopped by 51, seeing them coming from the bathroom, it was the first time most of them had seen Gabby since getting to the hospital, she had made a bee line for the bathroom not long after getting there.

"Gabby, what happened?" Hermann rose from the chair he was sitting on, coming to stand in front of her he found tears cascading down her cheeks, her whole body shaking. He pulled her into his arms, holding her close as she lifted her arm up, making sure they didn't touch his shirt. They hadn't noticed her injury

She sucked in a deep breath, noticing that the whole of 51 had made their way into the waiting room, "I don't…I don't know. Herrman I don't know…" she was bordering on hysterical at this point. She hadn't been able to comprehend much since what had happened; she had heard the paramedics and the nurses and the doctors but she had no idea what had happened and what was going on.

"Shhh, kid, it's ok. You're ok…" he hugged her close, watching as everyone came around them, a doctor making their way over. "Hey the doctor is here…"

They stood there silently, Gabby being held up by Herrman, her whole body leaning against his. "We have taken him to surgery, one bullet punctured his lung, while the other tore through his liver. So we have taken him in to repair the damager. He has lost a lot of blood but he was stable when we took him in." Gabby let out a sob and a sigh rolled into one.

He was in so much danger but he was stable, the medic part of her was telling her that that was a good thing. She held onto Herrman tightly, not too sure what to actually do with herself. "Hey Gabby, it's going to be alright. Matt is strong, he is going to all right. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back in there." He placed his hand on shoulder, making sure that she knew he was going to be all right.

Herrman pulled Gabby closer again, "See, he is going to be alright." He just held her tightly, holding her up, letting her cry, being the strength it was clear that Gabby needed at that moment.

Moments after the waiting room settled, Hallie moved Gabby back to the trauma room, she needed to check the wound, it needed to be cleaned and treated.

"Is he going to be ok?" Gabby looked out the window to her left, hoping that it was Matt in that room, truthfully, she couldn't actually tell and as terrified as she had been that Matt wasn't to be ok, she honestly couldn't bring herself to actually ask the question, she didn't know if she could deal with any thoughts of him not getting better.

Hallie looked up from Gabby's shoulder, she had no idea how Gabby was getting through the stitching without flinching but she was glad, it made her job easier. "How are you not freaking out right now?" Then she looked at Hallie, this girl was in love with Matt and yet here she was, calm, collected, and stitching up a wound.

Hallie smiled lightly, "I know Matt better than most, he will make it through and as for not freaking out…I am. I have always had this need to keep myself busy when something goes wrong, I find I cope better when I'm doing something. Don't worry Gabby, he will be all right." Gabby just nodded, sitting there patiently for Hallie to finish. "You know, he is going to be pretty upset when he finds out you were injured as well. Probably more upset when he finds out that he didn't get look at straight away."

That's when Gabby flinched; biting back a hiss, her arm jerking slightly, Hallie had hit a painful spot, an apology falling from her lips. There was something about the way Gabby was acting then that got Hallie thinking. Gabby had started to fidget, not able to look at Hallie. "I told him to go to you that night you know…"

This caused Gabby to look up, confusion written all over her face. "I could see the way he looked at you, I had never seen him look at anyone that way, not even me. I told him I had never seen him so happy than when he was dancing with you and that it was clear to everyone where he heart lied. I told him to go to you."

She wanted as Gabby looked way, her eyes flickering as she remembered that night Matt had come to her apartment, the night he had kissed her and she had told him it was a mistake. She sighed painfully, annoyed at herself, had she just let him talk that night they wouldn't have been arguing and then she wouldn't have sat with him at that café, he wouldn't have followed her and kissed her again.

They wouldn't have been there and he wouldn't have gotten shot. "Hey, this isn't your fault. Matt told me about what happened that night, I told him he needed to tell you there were nothing between us but he is stubborn. As I'm sure you know." She laughed a little, causing Gabby to roll her head look at her, her eyes red from the tears and pain.

How the hell was she calm?

Gabby didn't understand Hallie, she claimed that she and Matt weren't together but it was clear that she still cared deeply about Matt and here she was making a joke? "I still don't get how you can be so calm right now…"

That was when Hallie stopped, her hands dropping to her side, her face hardening. "I'm not. I'm not ok. I'm not calm. Matt is having major surgery and there is nothing I can do about it but wait. I don't do waiting Gabby, I can't do waiting. I am terrified that he isn't doing to be ok, that he isn't to wake up but I have to keep going and I have to believe that he will be."

Gabby nodded again, she could see the pain behind Hallie's eyes, and the sadness and the fear and she felt bad. Felt bad for her feeling that way and felt bad for questioning her about it. "I'm sorry Hallie." It was soft, earning a light smile from Hallie.

"Come on, you're done. You should be out there with the rest of the guys. I'll go and get an update for you…" Slowly Gabby slipped off the bed, Hallie helping her into a sling, glancing down she looked at the tiny metal lump sitting in the tray, staring back at her. The tiny lump of metal that may cost her the man she loved, how something so small could cause so much pain and damage.

Moving quickly from the room, she made her way back to the waiting room, where she was met with shock and gasps, "What happened?" Shay was the first to be at her side, each of the other members of 51 rising, their concern moving to Gabby instantly.

"I ah…I'm not really sure to be honest…but Hallie pulled a bullet from my shoulder…" Gasps echoed through the room as Shay placed her arm around Gabby's shoulder, slowly bringing her to sit on the hard chairs, each of them falling into silence as they waited for some form of update on how Matt was doing.

It didn't take long for Gabby to find herself lying on Kelly's lap, her head resting gently against his leg, her legs against Shay, Kelly's fingers running through her hair, Shay rubbing her leg gently, silent tears falling once again from her eyes, she didn't even bother to stop them, she just let them fall, memories of her best friend filling her head, his smile, his laugh, his voice, his kiss…all the things she wished she could have again.

And that was how she fell asleep, her head on Kelly's leg, silence settling in the waiting room as they all waited for something from the doctors. Hours had passed and the adrenaline had worn off and exhaustion had taken over, Gabby finally losing the hard fought battle to stay awake.

* * *

"How long has he been in there?" Kelly looked up at Hallie who sighed, she had taken up a seat across from him, her shift having been over an hour before, she wanted to be with them, wanted to be close to hear any information she could. She and Matt may not be together anymore but she still cared deeply about him. He was getting frustrated, waiting to get up and pace the room, to get angry and argue with someone to give them an update but he couldn't, Gabby was asleep and he needed to be strong for her and for the others.

"Going on four hours now…how's she doing?" She nodded towards Gabby, who was still asleep on Kelly's lap. She looked so peaceful, so calm but she could see the worry etching into her face, she had fought for so long to stay awake for so long but her body had gotten the better of her.

He looked down, his fingers brushing against her cheek, hearing her sigh and a Matt slip from her lips, a small smile settling on her face. "I think she will be ok when he is ok." It was now almost 3pm, the hospital had settled down a little, but it seemed as though they had been there forever; they had watched nurses running in and out of the operating room, no one stopping to give an update, no matter who tried to stop them. "He's gonna be alright…" It was muttered more to himself, but Kelly felt like he needed to say it, like it was something that everyone needed to hear.

Boden looked around at his team, they were down, quiet, trying to work out exactly what was going on, this man was their lieutenant, he was their friend and he was the man who was by their side no matter the issue and yet here they were, waiting in a room, waiting to see and hear if their friend was going to live, waiting to see if their lives would change forever. He didn't know what to tell them, he didn't know what to say to the men and woman sitting there.

He didn't know how to tell Kelly that his best friend was going to be ok because he didn't know if he could believe it. He didn't know how to tell Hermann that the boy he looks to like a son might not survive and he didn't know how to tell Gabby that the man she has finally found, may be leaving her before they even get a chance to have their life.

Sighing he dropped his head, he wished this day had never come, he wished that his men had never seen the inside of this hospital but sadly they had all become way to acquainted with it over recent years, too many of their family had been admitted.

"Chief Boden?"

Everyone jumped from their chairs, Hallie coming to Boden's side, Kelly and Shay slowly waiting Gabby up not to frighten her, they waited for the doctor to speak.

* * *

"Hey Lieutenant…" Matt scrunched his face at the voice, he recognised it, he could hear it, he just couldn't pin point where it was coming from. He blinked, he was in a hospital, that was clear enough, the white walls and white roof and white sheets and white lights, but why he was in a hospital he had no idea.

Turning his head slowly he found Herrman sitting by his side, a smile on his face, he leaned forward, "Take it easy…how are you feeling?" He stood now, bringing Matt a cup of water, helping him drink it.

How was he feeling?

He was sore, he was confused and instantly he was very scared. "Sore. I feel sore…" It even hurt to talk. Why did everything hurt? Why couldn't he remember what had happened?

Herrman laughed, his voice low, "Yeah well major surgery isn't meant to tickle…" this confused Matt even more, his face scrunching up even more, fear flashing through his eyes. "What do you remember?" Hermann wanted to see what it was that Matt actually remembered, not that he knew exactly what happened to fill in the blanks but he knew enough to help.

Swallowing deeply Matt thought for a moment, trying to clear his mind of the fuzziness that had settled there. He smiled a little, "Gabby…I remember having coffee with Gabby…I remember kissing Gabby…" He was pretty sure he blushed deeply then, but it faded instantly, "I was in pain, I don't know what happened…is she ok?" He was getting frustrated, not being able to remember what happened.

Herrman placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down instantly, "It's alright. You were with Gabby…you were shot." Instantly Matt's face changed, fear taking over. Shot? What the hell was going on? "Antonio said something about a gang shootout that spilled out onto the streets, there were a couple of other victims, a little girl…she didn't make it…Hallie was pretty sure that the bullet that went through your chest hit Gabby too, but she is going to be alright…"

Herrman should have known that would have set Matt off, instantly he tried to sit up, the machines starting to beep rapidly, "Hey calm down, relax. She is ok…" He nodded over Matt's shoulder, causing Matt to look across the bed, Gabby was curled up on the large chair by his side, her free hand holding his, her other one slipped into the sling holding it up.

The rapid beeping slowed as he watched her chest rise and fall, her eyes closed tightly as she slept. "She hasn't moved from that chair since you were brought in here. You were out for a couple of days…" Now he knew why Herrman was whispering, he didn't want to wake Gabby but Matt needed to see her eyes, needed to hear her voice.

Herrman made his way to her side, shaking her lightly, "Hey kid, you gotta wake up…" but she moaned in reply, mumbling something about not wanting to wake up until Matt was awake. "I got someone who wants to hear your voice…"

This caused her head to sit up, her eyes blinking away what Matt could tell was tears that had settled in her eyes, it was clear that she had been there a while, that she had been sitting in that same spot for a while.

Matt watched as she looked at Hermann confused, unsure of what he was saying, blinking away the confusion as she glanced over his shoulder, her eyes connecting with his instantly. He smiled, hoping she would understand, but her still confused look made him realise that she didn't believe he was awake. "Hey..." That's all it took to break the dam, Gabby jumping from her spot on the bed, pushing past Hermann she came to his side, her free arm wrapping around his neck, a sob echoing in his ear. "It's alright Gabs, I'm alright..."

He held her as tightly as he possible could, still sore and tired from the surgery but he needed to hold her, needed to know she was ok. He remembered her cries, the far in her voice as she called his name and there was no way he was going to let those memories be the last he had of her.

Sometime since the embrace, Hermann had slipped out the room, no doubt getting the doctors but also to call the rest of 51 to let them know that he was awake.

Pulling away from Gabby slowly, Matt glanced down at her arm, brushing his hand over the injury very gently, not wanting to hurt her. "We are going to have almost matching scars..." She whispered, his brow furrowing in slight confusion until she explained, her hand touching the right side of his chest, "the bullet that hit you, that caused your lung damage hit me too..."

He nodded remembering that Hermann had told him almost the same thing not too long ago. He sighed, brushing hair from her face, "I am so glad you are ok baby; when I woke up and saw the sling, I just got so worried..." It had terrified him, how much damaged had been caused because of a couple of groups of people? They had been injured, as had others and a child had lost her life because of someone else's spitefulness.

"I'm ok Matt, I promise, I'll be alright. It's you we have been worried about...you scared us all, scared me..." She was trying to hold back her tears, remembered the last few nights where she had cried herself to sleep thinking that he wasn't going to be all right.

Slowly he leaned forward, being careful of the pain in his chest and stomach but he wanted to kiss her, wanted to feel her. Touching her face carefully, he leaned forward, giving her a chance to pull way is she wanted (God he hoped she wouldn't though...), his lips resting against hers gently, relishing in the fact that he could kiss her whenever he wanted, sighing against her when he felt her kiss him back

She wanted to hold him close, to hold him tightly but being one handed and having him injured she didn't want to move too much so instead she just leaned forward, pressing her lips harder against his, showing him how scared she had been.

Someone clearing their throat caught their attention, Gabby jumping back from the kiss, turning suddenly she found the doctor, Hermann and Hallie standing together. Gabby cleared her throat, blushing deeply as she moved from the bed, letting the doctor in, Hallie sending a smile in her direction, she really wasn't upset to see them kissing, in fact she was glad they had found each other.

"Mr. Casey, so glad to see you awake...you've given this young lady quite a scare," he glanced over to Gabby who blushed again, hiding her face a little as Matt reached out for her hand, he did hate that he had scared her so much. "Now, you are going to be sore for a while, you had major surgery to repair your lung, the bullet pierced straight through you..."

Matt glanced towards Gabby, knowing that that was the bullet that had hit her shoulder, squeezing her hand tightly as reassurance. "...The other bullet did the most damaged, it tore through your side, your liver and embedded itself in your spleen, we had to repair the damaged to your liver before you bled out and also then remove your spleen." The doctor could tell that Matt was getting a little concerned now, his face draining of whatever colour he had left, Hermann and Gabby gasping at the new information that had not received before.

"But with time to heal, I don't see why you won't make a full recovery and be back at work in about 2 months." This caused Matt to sign happily, he loved his job, he wouldn't know what to do if he were told he couldn't be a fire fighter anymore. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check on another patient. And Miss Dawson, please make sure you get that dressing changed before you are discharged."

Gabby nodded, watching as Matt turned his head in her direction quickly. She laughed a little as the doctor left, leaving Hermann and Hallie in the room with them. "I made a deal with Hallie, if I could stay here I would let them admit me to keep and eye on the shoulder wound. I told Hallie that if I couldn't stay here then I would sign out against doctors orders..." She looked over to Hallie quickly, smirking.

"I just never told her that Boden wouldn't sign off me coming back to work if I signed out against the doctors orders..." Hallie raised her eyebrow at Gabby, how had she missed that sneaky little trick? "So I guess we all win in the end but I'm _fine_. I didn't need to be admitted anyway." She glanced between Hallie and Matt, making sure they both understood that she was all right.

Leaning forward Gabby pressed her lips against his forehead, "I'm going to get something to eat now that you are awake..." Walking passed Hermann, they both moved towards the door, leaving Hallie and Matt alone in the room.

Slowly she moved to the bed, taking up the spot that Gabby had moments ago, "I am so glad you are alright Matt...You really had me worried..." She reached out to him, she still loved him, having him injured scared her. "You scared Gabby a lot though. She didn't move from that chair the whole time you have been here."

He nodded, still trying to come to terms with it all, it's a shock. Finding out you've been shot and then had major surgery and the finding out that the bullet that almost killed you had injured the girl he loved.

Yes, he did just say love. Although he would never tell Gabby that; not just yet.

Opening his mouth slowly, Matt smiled, "Thank you for looking after her Hallie..." He reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you treated her."

But she nodded, "Don't thank me Matt, really, I'm glad that you finally found the courage to tell her how you feel." She smirked knowing how hard it must have been for him to tell her how he felt.

Matt laughed, "Well I don't know if I really got the chance to tell her," He blushed, this was Hallie he was talking to, his ex girlfriend; he really shouldn't have been telling her that he kissing another woman.

"Oh come on Matt, that girl hasn't left your side the whole time you've been here. She knows…" She leaned forward slowly, placing her lips against his forehead, "Get some rest, I am so glad you are going to be alright. And when Gabby gets back; tell her how you feel!" This made him laugh, nodding against her before watching her leave, sighing deeply as he slipped back against the pillows, feeling his body relax at the thought of Gabby coming back into the room very soon.

* * *

Hermann looked over at Gabby who was sitting at the table waiting for her food, she looked so small and tired but there was a glimmer of light on her face, a smile that played on her lips and shone through even though they were in a hospital.

Matt was awake.

Matt was safe.

Matt was going to be ok.

There was much he wanted to say to her, so much he wanted to tell her but instead he just sat by her side and waited. Waited to see what she would say and to be there to listen when she was ready.

Gabby wanted to scream, scream from anger, from pain, from frustration, from fear and from pure delight. Matt was alive and he was going to survive and go back to work and hopefully still want her. But she was just happy he had opened his eyes.

"I can't believe he almost died…" The words slipped from her mouth softly, still not having grasp that thought, not wanting to think about what it would be like to know he hadn't made it through the surgery.

" _Now I need to tell you that it was a tough surgery, it was touch and go for a while and Matt lost a lot of blood, we did have to restart his heart a couple of time because of it…" Each person standing their held their breath, gasps echoing through waiting room. Gabby holding onto Kelly's side, a heavy sob slipping from her lips as she thought the worst, Boden reaching out for Hallie, Hermann, Cruz, Otis, Capp and the rest swallowing down their fears._

" _But we were able to stabilise him. And he has come out of the surgery with no issues. We had to remove his spleen and repair damager to his liver. But he is stable and on his way to recovery." The doctor looked around at the fire fighters and paramedics and smiled. "He is probably going to be out for a few days, so we will just let him rest but we are expecting him to make a complete recovery and be back on shift before you know it."_

 _Boden reached out a hand for the doctor, shaking it thankfully. "Thank you Doctor."_

 _It was clear to everyone who was in the waiting room that 51 was a family, that they cared deeply about each other. "You can see him in a few minutes, I'm sure he would love to know you are all there. Especially Gabby?" He glanced around until his eyes met the dark skinned girl who took a step forward at her name. "He regained consciousness for a few moments, only asking for you before we had to sedate him."_

 _She nodded, swallowing down the tears as she thought of him asking for her._

"He is strong kid, don't you worry about that. He will be complaining about having time off work, just you wait and see." This made her laugh, laugh through the fear she had, hoping that Hermann was right, but he knew Matt better than she did, he knew what he was capable of. "Now let's go and see your man…" He rose from the table, pulling Gabby into his arms and under his shoulder as they walked back towards Matt's room.

But he didn't follow her in, instead Hermann let Gabby go in on her own, watching as she took a seat next to his bed, her hand clenched in his tightly, their eyes locking and a small smile finding her lips, widening as he spoke to her, whatever it was that was said between them would be for their ears only.

* * *

 **Not sure how I feel about this one so please let me know?**


	9. It Gets Better

**I can't believe it has been over a month since I have updated, I am SO SO sorry to everyone, I promise I have been trying to write it just hasn't been coming to me as easily as I would have hoped. I want to push through and finish this story thought, I hate leaving things unfinished.**

 **So here is the next chapter, I really don't know how I feel about it, its very fluffy, which I wasn't hoping for but it seemed to be the only I could write. So please let me know what you think.**

 **I really did struggle with this chapter and I feel that it shows as its not my best.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – It Gets Better**

"Mr Casey…" The hospital door opened suddenly, causing Matt to jump slightly, at the sound, it was later in the evening, the lights were down and the blinds were closed, it was enough to start making him fall asleep; the TV the only thing keeping him awake. Turning towards the door, Matt's hand went up to his lips, his finger covering them as if to shush the doctor coming in.

At this point the doctor looked up from his clipboard, seeing Matt's gesture as they both looked over to Gabby, who was sleeping soundly by the bed, her body curled into the chair, her hand resting on the side of the bed, held tightly into Matt's.

"Oh sorry…" the doctor smiled as he saw Gabby, shaking his head; "She knows she has her own room right?" Matt laughed, it was true, Gabby had spent most of her time in Matt's bedroom, as she was able to move around and he was still not.

"Yeah I know, I like the company though, so I'm not going to knock it back." He sat up slowly, slipping his hand out of Gabby's, smiling again when he watched her curl further into herself, sighing. He couldn't wait for the day he could actually hold her while she slept.

He turned back towards the doctor; waiting to see what he had come talk to him about. Matt had been in hospital for about a week after waking up, there had been talk on him going home but there was no actually date for when that was going to happen. He would wait, impatiently but he knew that it wasn't something that could be pushed. He was still sore, he couldn't move much at all so he knew that rushing back wouldn't be the best thing.

And he also knew that Gabby, Kelly and Boden won't be letting him rush into getting back to work, they would be worried about him no matter what. "So what's up?"

The doctor came to his side, "Well I was thinking that you might be interested to know that we are sending you home in a couple of days." Matt's eyes light up at those words, he was being sent home? He couldn't wait to get out of the hospital, "Don't get too excited, there is a but to this…" But Matt didn't care, he was being released soon. "We want to know that someone is looking after you and considering your girlfriend has her own injury that needs to be addressed, we need to make sure you are living with someone who can help you."

This caused Matt to falter, thinking who might be the sort of person he could ask. It was true, if Gabby wasn't injured, the would have asked her to help him out but he didn't want to put that pressure on her and so he thought. "There might be someone I could ask, I would just have to ask him…for how long?"

He was going to ask Kelly, no doubt he would say yes but Matt didn't want to assume. "I would say for the next couple of weeks. Just until we get some more movement into you without being in too much pain." Matt nodded, knowing that he would be having that conversation with Kelly as soon as possible, hopefully that would mean he would be released sooner rather than later.

He glanced over to Gabby, thankful that she was still asleep throughout this whole conversation, he knew how tired she was. But he also knew that she wasn't giving him much information in terms of her own injury and he worried about her. Turning back to the doctor, he inclined his head towards her, "How is she? Really?"

The doctor smiled, "She is going to be fine. No major damage was caused, she is going to make a full recovery." This made Matt sigh happily, he liked having the confirmation from the doctor, it was just nice to hear it from someone other than her. He heard the doctor leave, the door shutting behind him gently as he looked over to Gabby once more, smiling when he realised that she really was going to be ok, that she was going to recover, that they were both going to be ok.

* * *

"How are you doing Gabs?" Antonio looked over to his side and smiled as he watched Gabby. She was finally leaving that hospital, finally going to go home, to rest and relax and let her arm heel, but it was clear to him that she wasn't going to be doing much resting until Matt was out of hospital as well. She had woken up one morning, in her own hospital bed, with Antonio sitting at her side.

" _Relax Gabby, you are back in your own room…I brought you in here last night…" Gabby turned to her side, looking at him closely, trying to understand and remember how she got into her room; the last thing she remembered was falling asleep, curled uncomfortably into the chair with her hand tightly wrapped in Matt's but now she was laying in her own bed._

 _She swallowed deeply; she had been really tired, still trying to work it out. "I went to see Matt, found you asleep, he made sure I got you back to your_ own _bed for some decent sleep." That's when she nodded, understanding what had happened. "How are you feeling?"_

" _Yeah I'm alright. Still tired. How is Matt?" She was more worried about him than herself; that was something that had started from the minute they got close; even as close friends, they were both worried about each other more than themselves._

 _Antonio laughed, "He is fine. He is happy that you are here, sleeping, not awkwardly curled up by his side…like he tells me you have been doing since the beginning…" She blushed at this, looking away. "He is fine Gabby. Trust me; he is fine." He reached for her hand, holding it tightly as she sighed._

" _Thank you Tonio, thank you for being here…" It was overwhelming to Gabby, the realisation how close she was to losing Matt, the man she cared deeply about but also the man who had become her closest friend, her best friend. But also how close she was to losing her own life, had she been just one step to the left, the bullet would have gone through her chest, not her shoulder and there was no guarantee that she would have survived something like that._

"I'm doing alright, really glad to be going home honestly, can't wait to be in my own bed, my own clothes, my own shower..." she rested her head against the seat, breathing in the fresh air from the open window. Antonio had promised to pick her up and then take her Matt's house the next day, giving her a chance to rest for a bit, letting her body and mind rest for a bit.

Antonio smirked as he looked over at Gabby, "You are going to want me to take you to Matt's apartment today aren't you?" She looked over at him, _how did he know? "_ I can read you like an open book Gabby. I thought you promised him you would come home for the day, spend some time on your own, _resting_." But he knew she wasn't going to go by that promise, she wanted to be close to Matt, friendship or more or otherwise, she needed to be close to him.

He didn't let Gabby answer, sighing, "Alright fine, but you are going to get home, shower, sleep for a bit and then I will take you to Matt's. How does that sound?" Her wide smile was the only answer he needed from her, she was happy to know that Antonio had her back.

* * *

Matt sighed as he lay back against the couch, his body relaxing happily because he was finally home, finally able to wear his own clothes, shower in his on bathroom and sleep in his own bed. The doctors had giving him strict orders about going home, making sure that understood exactly what he could and couldn't do, the conversation with Kelly was slightly awkward but he was happy to help out wherever it was needed, Kelly was just glad to have his best friend alive and safe.

 _Matt wasn't the sort of person to ask for help, he actually hated relying on other people but this was something he knew he wasn't going to get away with. He could barely move while he was laying in bed, let alone move around the house or actually_ do _things that needed to be done._

 _He had to have a hand with almost everything, showering was one of the hardest parts, not because he had to undress and the like, mostly because there was parts of his body he wasn't allowed to really get wet because of the bandaging, so he was happy to have someone like Kelly who was willing to help out, someone who might give him shit but would be there when Matt needed them._

 _"So Mr Severide, you understand what is needed? I know it might be hard for you both but it is really important that you don't pull the stitches and cause any more damage. We need to make sure that everything stays how it should be, ok?"_

 _Kelly nodded as e doctor spoke, he knew Matt was embarrassed about what was needed but he was his best friend, he would be by his side no matter what. "I got it. Don't worry, we will swing passed my place before heading to yours so I ant grab a few things." He just watched as Matt nodded, thankful to Kelly for his help._

 _"Good. Now Matt, please don't push yourself, the last we need is you back here and in surgery again, I also don't think Gabby would be less than impressed if you were to came back because you were over doing it." This made Matt blush a little more, he didn't like being dependant on other people but he hated that people were already using Gabby to get him to do the things that he would otherwise be reluctant to do, they all knew Gabby would keep him in line._

 _The nursing staff and doctors had all become aware of Matt and Gabby's relationship; although at the moment it wasn't a relationship but it would be; they cracked jokes about 'the girlfriend' or 'the boyfriend', not that either minded._

 _"Don't worry, I will be in my best behaviour, I've seen Gabby's bad side, I don't want to be on that..." He shook his head, he had seen how angry she could get, especially when she cared deeply about someone or something. The three men laughed, Kelly understanding exactly what he meant, none of them noticing Gabby had pushed open the door._

 _"So this is what happens when I'm not in the room huh, everyone gets a chance to rag on me?" She raised her eyebrow at Matt, watching as his smile widened when he saw her, he was so happy to see her, not even caring that she was pretending to be upset at him._

 _He reached out for her, it and been a day or so since he had seen her last, she was his best friend, he missed her. She had been released from hospital two days before and had spent a little bit of time at home, resting up and relaxing but he was happy that she had stayed away, she had been tired and he hate that she spent so much time curled up on the chair by his side. "Oh, always, the minute you are gone, the truth comes out."_

 _The scrunched up look on her face made him laugh, his hand outstretched to her even more as she came to his side, her lips touching his cheek gently. They hadn't kissed since the last time, not since the shooting, neither of them wanting to broach that subject while they were in hospital, didn't want to push themselves into anything, as much as it was clear to everyone that they wanted it, it was clear to them both that they needed time to sort out the injuries before moving forward, together._

 _Matt was looking forward to moving forward, leaving the hospital, getting over the injury and getting back to his life and his work. He was over the moon to have Gabby standing by his side at that moment. "I wanted to come and help you back home if that's ok..." She looked over to Kelly and the doctor who both nodded, making it was OK by them before looking down at Matt who was watching her closely, a smile on his lips._

 _"I would love for you to help out. Just don't actually_ do _anything...ok?" She just nodded, brushing her hand across his cheek, noting that he needed a shave, before taking a step back, not wanting to be in the way while the doctor spoke a little more to Matt and Kelly._

 _She listened as the doctor spoke to Matt, informing of what he could and couldn't do, she could see embarrassment flash over his face, there were things he would need help with, things that he would never in his life have asked for help with but now he didn't have a choice, but she was watching him, he was smiling, nodding, talking…he was awake, that was all she cared about._

He could hear Kelly moving around in the kitchen, getting himself organised, working out where everything was, he was a little worried, he had lived with Kelly once before and it was a little crazy, but he was sure that Kelly would be a little more behaved this time around; it wasn't just them sharing a house, Kelly being able to bring home girls all the time, this was Matt needing help from his friend.

Closing his eyes he signed, he had always loved his couch, he had picked it solely on its comfort, he had fallen asleep on it many times in the passed and it was clear that this was going to be another one of those days. Calling out to Kelly roughly, Matt reluctantly asked for help, "Can you help me lay down?" to which he only received a smile and a nod, Kelly helping him lay on his back, the movement causing Matt to hiss deeply as his chest hurt, the movement too much for him.

Within moments Matt's eyes slipped closed, a small smile on his face, he was home, he was safe and he was going to be fine.

Matt didn't know how long he had been sleeping for but as his eyes slowly opened, he felt rested, an ache had settled into his chest but he was more rested than he had been since waking up in that hospital bed the week before.

Groaning he rolled to the side, slowly rising himself into a seated position inch by inch, his left arm crossed over his chest, trying to keep his body from moving too much. As he sat straight up, he released a breath, step one complete, now to get up from the couch, this proved to be a little easier as it was a straight up motion, glad when there was no pain as he rose.

" _I'm just really happy ya know…"_ Was that Gabby's voice he could hear? What was she doing there? When did she get there? HE remembered telling her he wanted her to come over and help him settle back in but as far as he knew she was coming over tomorrow, not today.

Slowly shuffled towards the kitchen, listening closely as he could hear Kelly talking as well. There he rested against the wall, watching his friend and the girl he hoped to call his girlfriend talk.

"I don't know if I remember seeing him so happy either. Even just having you in his life, you instantly became his best friend and he changed." Gabby smiled at Kelly as he cooked away, her arm in a sling stopping her from no doubt pushing him away from the bench top, wanting to take over.

Gabby laughed, "God I remember that day he pulled me from that fire…" it looked like she blushed as she spoke, clearly remembering how she acted after it, "…I remember not wanting him to leave me, he put me down on that journey and I just reached out for him," she laughed, shaking her head, "I held his hand _so_ tightly, I remember being so embarrassed about it afterward."

But Kelly laughed, "Oh don't worry, the rest of that shift I could tell that something was different about Casey, I would see him space out, like he was thinking about the beautiful girl he rescued. He was worried about you." He glanced to his side, watching as Gabby looked away. "Hey, what's wrong?" Turning off the stove, Kelly moved to stand beside Gabby, waiting for her answer.

She shrugged, "Nothing is wrong, it's just…my life changed so quickly after that night, losing almost everything in the fire, meeting Matt and you guys, how close we became almost instantly, I never thought that I would be as happy as I have been recently..." She shrugged again, not really sure what she was trying to say.

Kelly seemed to already know though, "You're worried about how a relationship with Matt will affect friendships?" She nodded. "Look Gabs, it's clear to everyone that Matt really cares about you, he wants to be with you, you can't be too worried about everything else…"

"No that's not it, I just…the last guy I was with was, well an ass, and I know Matt isn't like that, but that's what scares me, what if something happens and I ruin it. I really care about him…" She sighed, leaning in Kelly as he put his arm around her, bringing her against him.

"Hey, it's been a stressful few weeks, you're tired, don't think like that ok. I see the way he looks at you and how you look at him. Just let everything settle, trust me kid, it'll be alright…" She nodded against his shoulder, it had been a stressful few weeks and she hadn't been sleeping well, it was all true, she wasn't thinking straight. She also felt that it wasn't something she should be worried about at this point, there was no way to even know if they would be in a relationship after everything that has happened but she trusted Kelly and she knew he wouldn't judge her.

Matt frowned as he listened to Gabby speak, she really was worried about what was happening between them, they had been friends long enough that she should know that he means what he does and says but it was true, she had told him many times about her past relationship with Nick and he knew how much she had been hurting from that, he wanted the opportunity to show her exactly what she deserved.

" _Why do you stay with him?" Matt knew he shouldn't be asking her that question, he didn't want to sound like he was jealous but he also knew that there was clearly a reason why she stayed with Nick, he just couldn't see it._

 _Gabby sighed, leaning closer to him, "I dunno. I guess I just...God I honestly don't know!" She laughed a little, hating the fact that she couldn't actually answer his question._

 _She had knocked on his office door one afternoon, he had noticed that she had been quiet for most of the day at the firehouse, he had been worried about her, something was clearly playing on her mind. So as she sat on his bed, while he finished up some paperwork, he knew something was wrong. She had waited for him to finish, not wanting to interrupt but the minute his pen had touched the desk she asked for his attention, "You got a minute?" He knew in that moment that she was hesitant about talking to him, she was embarrassed and annoyed that she needed someone to talk to about her problems._

 _They sat in silence for a moment, Matt had moved to her side on the bed, their shoulders against each other, his hand resting against her leg. "You know, there were moments in our relationship that I wondered what it would be like if we broke up, if I had to start again with someone knew and what sort of relationship I would get into if Nick and I did break up. He just…some days I wonder if he even wants a relationship or if he just wants the sex." Matt was glad that she didn't notice his tensing at those words, he hated the fact that Nick was using her for sex, he could see it, but he would never tell her that._

" _Why do I bother?" She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears that she would not shed. She had told him about how she had waited for him all night, falling asleep on the couch because he had told her he would be home around midnight, she had waited for him, only to have him stumble into the apartment at 6am, wake her up and tell her that she shouldn't have expected him home. That he didn't_ need _her to wait for him, that he could do what he wanted._

 _She had told Matt about she hadn't seen Nick in a few days and was looking forward to spending some time with him, so understandably she was heartbroken when he didn't come home but also how he had spoken to her when he had come home, he never knew Gabby to be so quiet about her feelings, but it was clear that she didn't want to start any fights, she almost seemed to tired to fight with him._

 _Matt slipped his arm around her shoulder bringing her close to him as she sighed, her whole body snuggling closer to him, holding on as silence overtook them both. How dare Nick make her feel like she didn't deserve someone who would dote upon her, to make her question why she bothers being a relationship? It took all of Matt's strength not to march down to see Nick and knock him the fuck out. But she needed him, his best friend and the girl he held such strong feelings for, needed him and he was going to be there anytime she needed._

 _He wanted to be_ that _guy for her._

Not able to listen anymore, Matt took a step forward, "Hey…" Gabby stood upright, Kelly dropping his arm from around her shoulder, they both looked towards Matt, "I thought I smelled something cooking," He smiled, making out as though he hadn't heard them talking, not wanting to embarrass Gabby more than she already was.

"Hey." Gabby smiled widely as she went to his side, brushing her hand against his cheek before pulling him into a light hug, not wanting to squeeze too tightly so she didn't hurt him.

He held her though, not wanting to let go, he breathed her in, "Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here? I thought I told you to come over tomorrow, I wanted you to get some rest…" He looked down at her, watching her soft features change.

She shrugged, "Yeah well I wanted to be here, with you. So I got Antonio to drop by off. You were asleep when I got here so Kelly and I have been catching up…" She glanced over her side to see the back of Kelly's head nod, slowly she reached for his hand, leading him to the table where she sat by his side, their hands still joined tightly together. "I am so glad you are ok Matt…" She whispered softly to him.

Matt smiled back at Gabby as she spoke, his mind running rampant with images of her sitting at this table in the mornings, hair wild, minimal clothing, coffee in one hand, toast in the other, a wide smile on her face as they talked. Mentally shaking his head, Matt brought their hands up to his lips, resting them gently on the top of her hand. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you Gabby…"

They were both so lost in each other that they missed Kelly turning around and smiling at the couple, knowing that they would find their way, together.

* * *

And so it's done. I finally have the next chapter written, please leave a review, good or bad, I know it's not been my best and wonder if it were better I didn't post but I hope you enjoyed a little dawsey love


	10. Back in the House

**Thanks for all the love I got for the last chapter! It means so much to me, you are all still enjoying this story.**

 **As some of you may have noticed, I have been struggling to keep up this story and story line. I want to be able to finish it but I also don't want to write something that isn't my best. BUT I will continue this as long as I feel that I am doing my best.**

 **Please let me know what you think of this chapter, like I said, its getting harder for some reason on this story line so I would love to know what your thoughts are.**

 **Chapter 10 – Back in the House**

Matt sighed as he smiled down at Gabby, the sun on her skin, smile on her face. She was happy, they were happy. They had finally taken the step forward they had been putting off for a while, finally, decided not to wait any longer with their relationship, wanting to be with each other more than anything. It had been tough getting there, but there they were, standing in the middle of the quiet street, the after smell of coffee on their breaths, staring up at each other.

He wanted to kiss her. God he wanted to kiss her, the way her eyes shone while look up at him, her nose scrunching slightly as her smile grew, waiting for him, daring him, wanting him. She wanted him to kiss her, he wanted to kiss her and so he did.

It was light, gently and loving, he held her close, his arms around her waist, also gentle and loving. As he pulled away, Matt rested his forehead against hers. She sighed, "I never thought we would get to this point Matt, I never thought we would be here together…" Gabby's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkling as he laughed.

"You and me both babe." He leaned down again, his lips touching hers once more, the sound of cars moving passed them suddenly coming into focus, the world around them coming back as they stood there, together. He felt her sigh against him once more, completely happy with how they were.

As suddenly as it had all started, the sun faded and the wind picked up, the sounds around them falling away, leaving them both standing in a deserted street, faded images of where people used to be, empty seats and abandoned cars. Matt didn't even have time to look around, he did have time to question what had happened, he only felt Gabby's nails biting into his back, holding onto him tightly.

"Gabby, what-?" He looked down at her, wondering what had happened, her smile had faded, a look of horror had crossed her face, her nails still digging into his back painfully but he was more concerned about what was happening with her, the terrified look on her face staring back at him.

She did not speak, her mouth opening slightly but words were not needed, the slow, long drip that stained her beautiful white shirt red telling him more than he needed to know.

The drip that continued down her shirt, spreading outwards as it flowed fast. "Gabby?" He held her tightly, not wanting her to fall, not wanting to let her go, he held her tightly. The bloodstain doubling in size, a gasp coming from her lips as her knees buckled underneath her, her body weight falling towards the ground and then she was gone.

Matt stood in the middle of the street, cars moving around him, the sounds of sirens and shouts, shots and screams echoing around him but he stood there, that white shirt in his hands, dried blood staring back at him.

Matt shot up suddenly, finding himself closed off in his own bedroom, his soft, warm doona covering his body, his heart rate pumping rapidly as he realised where he was. He was home, he was safe and the pain in his chest telling him that Gabby was safe too. He had dreamed it all. Dreamed her getting injured the way she had, thankful then that he had taken the brunt of the injury, that she had come away with something as minor as she did, knowing it could have been much worse.

Matt raised his hand over his chest, the pain spreading over his shoulder, he shouldn't have moved as fast as he did when getting up, a sharp hiss slipping from his lips as he tried to relax his body, relax it from the pain it was feeling but also relax it from the fear he had just felt.

"You alright buddy?" Matt turned suddenly to find Kelly standing by the door, no doubt having heard the movements from his bedroom, not realising that he had actually been calling out Gabby's name, crying out for her in his sleep. Kelly moved into the bedroom, his hand outstretched in case he needed any help.

Sighing he dropped his head, bringing his legs slowly up into a crossed position, "Yeah, yeah I'm alright. Must have been a dream…" he shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I'm alright, really." He waved Kelly off, wanting to play it off, hoping that Kelly would ignore it but he didn't, he moved further into his bedroom, taking a seat on the side of the bed. They shared a look; one that both of them knew better, _tell me what is going on_.

They both had that look for each other. Knowing each other for a long time meant they could read each other, he could see the affect that the shooting was having on Matt, see how he struggled to work through the emotions he was feeling.

Matt shook his head, rubbing his hand over his chest and shoulder, trying to ease the pain. "It ah…it was just that Gabby was in my position, when all of this…" he motioned towards his chest, "…happened, we were standing the other way and she didn't make it." He hated that feeling, the feeling of being terrified that something had happened or was going to happen.

Kelly reached out, "It's alright Casey. You went through something pretty traumatising, it would shock me if you were 100% all right at this point. You just gotta give it some time. Believe that Gabby is fine ok, that she survived and it alive and is going to make your life a living hell if she knew you were worrying about her still." He raised his eyebrow at Matt, it was true, she would hate knowing that he was still worried about her getting hurt considering she was fine.

Matt nodded, he knew she was fine, he knew that he shouldn't be as worried as he was but he couldn't help it, it could have easily been the other way around, it could have easily been Gabby who had gotten shot in the chest. He shuddered to think about it though.

"Come on man, you've pulled your stitches. Let's get you cleaned up…" He patted Matt's knee, watching as he looked down, the bloodstain on his grey shirt from where he had pulled the stitches, the thrashing and quick motion in sitting up irritating the already painful area. Slowly he rose from his bed, moving towards the bathroom where Kelly had already started pulling out what he needed, both thankful they were trained enough to handle something like this.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Kelly cleaning the blood off Matt's chest, Matt staring at the floor. The dream really had thrown him through a loop, it worried him so much that something was going to happen to Gabby, what if something happens to her while they were on shift and there was nothing he could do about it? What if she got hurt and he wasn't there to help her? What if-

"So you gonna talk to Gabby about it?" Kelly's voice pulled Matt from his thoughts, blinking up at the other man he waited for Kelly to continue, Matt had no idea what he was on about. Kelly just rolled his eyes, "Are you going to tell her you've been having nightmares?"

It was true, Matt had been having nightmares about her getting hurt or him dying ever since coming home, it was now a week since he had come home and every time he closed his eyes, it was the same thing. But Matt looked away; he didn't want Kelly to know what he was thinking, even though he already did. "Look man, she is worried about you. The other day when she was here and you fell asleep, she heard you; I could see the look on her face. She is worried about you."

That caused Matt to sigh, he didn't want Gabby to worry about him, he hated knowing that she was. "Man just talk to her ok. She just wants to know you are doing all right. And I'm pretty sure by the look on her face every time she walks into this apartment; she has been having the same nightmares." Kelly went back to focusing on the broken stitching on Matt's chest, leaving him to fall into his own thoughts about himself and of Gabby.

He didn't want her to worry about him; he didn't want her to be affected the way she clearly was because of what happened. He wished he could help her out but at the same time, he was terrified that he couldn't, terrified he wasn't going to be able to do anything to help her at all.

* * *

"Aunt Gabby?" A small voice came from beside Gabby one the couch she had curled up on with her niece, the two of them spending as much time together as possible, it had been a while since they had seen each other in a while and since Gabby was off work they had decided that it would be a nice girls day together.

After getting injured, Gabby had sworn to spend as much time with her family as possible, ever since her mother had died, Gabby promised herself she would be as close to her family as possible.

"Yes baby?" Gabby loved her niece so much, she reminded her so much of herself in Eva, she had been close to the young girl when she was born as well, being young herself when she was born. Eva had grown up, wanting everything to be like her aunt and always wanting to spend time with her.

Eva snuggled closer to her aunt, wanting to be as close to her as possible, she had been terrified when her dad had told her that Gabby was in the hospital, worried that she had been seriously injured. Eva had run to her side the minute she had seen her for the first time since being injured that day.

 _Eva let go of her father's hand, running straight to Gabby's side as she stood with her back to them. She didn't care that she was talking to the doctor, she didn't care that Gabby was surrounded by her fellow fire fighters, she didn't even care that her arms was sitting in a sling, she wanted to be by her aunt and that was all that there was to it._

 _Antonio had tried to reach for Eva, not wanting her to run and interrupt but she was strong willed when she wanted to be and he knew how much she loved her aunt. He wanted from the side as Gabby turned at the sound of her name, kneeling down instantly, taking the young girl in her arms, as tightly as she possible could. "Oh baby, I'm alright. I'm ok…" She held her close, feeling the young girl sob against her shoulder._

 _It never crossed her mind how her family would be affected by her getting shot; she was too concerned about Matt and how he had collapsed in her arms. But kneeling in that hospital waiting room, Eva crying in her arms, it hit her how much she had almost lost today; she would have been leaving her friends and family if it was a more serious that it was._

"Are you going back to work soon?" the young girl looked up at her aunt, Gabby could tell that it was something she had been wanting to ask for a while, holding that question in since first walking into the apartment.

Gabby sighed, "Eva, you know I have to go back to work and you know this didn't happen at work. But I promise you; I will do everything I can to make sure I will be ok. I promise I will be ok." She held Eva closer to her, kissing the top of her head. She hated to know that Eva was so upset about her getting hurt; she just hoped she could settle those worries.

As they sat back and continued to watch the movie they had been so engrossed in Gabby started to think about Matt. She knew what it was like to be worried about someone you care about getting hurt, she just worried about how painful that would become between her and Matt.

She had been having nightmares recently; nightmares of not being able to save Matt or just not being able to stop the bleeding. It scared her, it scared her that she was so terrified of losing him, granted he was probably her best and closest friend but also that he meant so much to her, that if she had lost him, she honestly didn't know what she would do with herself.

Sighing she pulled Eva closer to her, needing to hold her close, needing to know that her niece was close to her.

* * *

Gabby smiled as she stood in Matt's kitchen, Kelly by her side as they laughed, waiting for Shay to come over, they were going to spend the day off watching movies and catching up, considering it had been a while since they had all spent time together, Matt and Gabby being off work and then just finding it difficult to find the time where neither were tired or busy.

"You know, Casey will be happy to know you're here, I think he has missed you over the last week." Gabby blushed a little, it was true, Antonio and her dad had kept her so busy over the last week, she hadn't been able to see Matt much at all. They had talked on the phone but not seen each other.

She laughed, a little embarrassed at what Kelly was saying but also kinda glad. She had gone over early in the morning, Matt still asleep, still being affected by the pain killers he was taking, he would wake up later in the morning than he usually would. "I've missed him too…" She blushed again, watching as Kelly smirked back at her but before they could say anything else, Matt cleared his throat.

"Hey Gabs, what are you doing here?" He had woken up to the sounds of her laugher, smiling to himself as he moved down the hallway, the warmth of the indoor heating relaxing him. He watched as she looked up at him, blinking a few times before she smiled.

 _What the hell was he thinking? Standing there in front of her with his track pants sitting low on his hips, his hair a mess from sleep and his chest bare._ Gabby blinked a few times, trying to steady herself, she smiled, "Kelly texted me, thought it would be nice if we all spent some time together…I think he is going to pick up Shay soon…" she glanced over to Kelly who nodded, moving from the kitchen he glanced back at the two of them.

They were so cute; Matt looked like an excited child to see Gabby standing there but the darkened look on Gabby's face was anything but that of a child, they were both so cute that he had to laugh as he left the apartment.

They stood in silence for a few moments, Matt just so happy to know she was there but as Gabby looked back at him, her eyes focussed on his chest. Slowly she took a few steps towards him, no words spoken, Matt knowing that she needed this time to think things through, he had seen that look on her face before; she was trying to make sense of what was happening around her. And in this instance it was the wound on his chest.

Gabby reached out slowly to touch Matt's chest, her hand shaking as she did. She hadn't spoken a word to Matt since noticing the bandage, she hadn't even asked if it was ok with him if she touched his chest but Matt hadn't stopped her and so she kept moving towards him.

It was the first time she had seen the wound, every other time she had seen him he was either covered with the hospital gown or just normal clothing, suddenly seeing it for the first time made it that much more real, the image of where the scar would be, the realisation of exactly how close to his heart the bullet had been, it terrified her.

The skin around the wound was still red and angry, three weeks after it happening but it was healed enough that it was only covered by a small bandage, only just bigger than the size of the bullet hole but enough for Gabby to be focused on it. She swallowed heavily as her fingers barely brushed his skin, not being able to steady her hands at all.

Gently her fingers touched his skin, feeling him shudder under her touch, partly because her fingers were cold and he wasn't expecting it but mostly because she was touching his chest and he would be damned if he said she didn't turn him on. He wanted her; he always had, but this was neither the time nor the place. He waited for her to continue, staring down as she focused solely on his chest.

There was nothing sexual about how she was watching him, how she was touching him, he could see the fear in her eyes, she shake of her hand as she did touch him. Swallowing he placed his hands gently onto her shoulders, "I'm alright…" He never realised how much seeing the wound would have affected her, with one hand he raised her chin to look in her eyes, noticing that tears had formed in her eyes as she looked at him, "I promise you Gabby, I am alright…"

He wanted to kiss her, wanted to pull her close to him and hold her forever, but he didn't want to push her. He watched as her lips parted for a moment, thinking about what she wanted to say, how she was going to say it but instead she sighed, dropping her head, her leaned in towards him, her head resting on his chest, her free arm curling around his back, holding onto him.

"It's alright hun, it's alright…" he was soothing her, he hated the fact that he was so upset that he had to sooth her but she was in his arms and he wasn't letting go. Gently he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, keeping her in place he rocked her gently, feeling her shudder against his chest, she was finally letting go of the emotions she had been holding in, emotions she didn't even realise that she was holding in.

After a moment she pulled away, wiping her tears away, "I'm sorry Matt, I don't know what-"

But he shook his head, resting both his hands on her checks to stop her from moving, "Don't you dare apologise, ok? You have nothing to be sorry for…" Gabby nodded, feeling the warmth from his hands on her cheeks, she placed her free hand against his, smiling up at him.

God she wanted him to kiss her, too terrified to make the first move herself, she hoped that he would understand that look in her eyes, her need for him. And for a moment there it was almost as though he did understand, he was searching her eyes, reading her easily but it only took a moment for him to pull away, taking a half step backwards, his hands slipping from her cheeks to her shoulders once more.

She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, but Matt reached for her hand, walking her towards the sofa, he motioned for her to sit, before he slipped a t-shirt over his head, sitting beside her, Matt pulled her into his arms, laying down against the couch, his arms around her tightly.

Gabby sighed, thankful for a few reasons that he had put a shirt on, but even more thankful to be in his arms like this. With her head on his chest, they laid in silence for what felt like forever, until Matt spoke. "I've been having nightmares…" Slowly she turned, resting her chin against his chest she waited for him to continue.

Matt brushed his hand against her face, moving the hair from her eyes, gently pushing it behind her ear, "They are always different, sometimes you are in my place when it all happened or I don't reach you in time…" he was brushing his hand over her face again, it was an absentminded action that she would gladly have him do any day of the week.

He almost felt ashamed, like what happened him, to the both, shouldn't have been affecting him past the physical trauma, but there had always been something in the back of his mind, the fear of what could have happened if it was Gabby who was standing on the other side of him.

"I've been having them too…I know Antonio has had to wake me up a few times recently," She looked down, hating seeing the sad face he was showing her.

There was silence between them as they stood there, this was the first honest conversation they had "You know; if you need someone to make sure you are sleeping alright; my door is always open..." Matt pulled a face at Gabby as he smiled down at her.

Gabby laughed, wrapping her arm around him once more; "I'll keep that in mind..." She wanted to take him up on that offer, if only to know that he was there and he was safe but she couldn't say yes, not just yet.

After a moment Matt dropped his smile, seriousness coming over him, he needed her to know, "It would mean the world to me to know that you are ok..." He looked down at her, her smile fading as well, the seriousness of his statement hitting her; it amazed her still that they had both been so close to it being much more of a disaster.

She touched his face gently, feeling him turn into her hand; his eyes close for a moment. "I'm ok Matt, believe me. I am ok..." Dropping her hand, Gabby rested her head against his chest, signing, "You have no idea how glad I am to know you are alright...I don't know what I would do without you." She sighed against him once more, feeling him tighten his grip on her.

Matt wanted to hold her forever; instead he placed a kiss on the top of her head, hoping that was enough for her to understand that he wouldn't know what to do without her either.

They stood their silently for a few moments, happy enough to be in the others arms, not really wanting to ruin it at all but Matt was curious, actually he had been curious for a while now, "When do you go back to work?"

The last time they had spoken about working it was when they were still in the hospital and Matt was just about to get out, the doctor had given him a minimum 8 weeks off work, wanting to make sure his body was back to 100% fit before letting him back to work, but they hadn't spoken about Gabby, it was clear she was more worried about him than herself.

Gabby didn't really want to think about work, after her conversation with Eva and the thought of going back to work without Matt, she mumbled into his chest, "I go back to the doctor Friday next week so I'm hoping not much later after that...it'll be weird without you being there..."

He laughed a little, nodding, "You will be fine without me, the guys miss you and it won't be long until I grace the firehouse with my presence once more." This caused her to laugh against him as well, "You better" was her mumbled reply.

* * *

"How is Casey doing?" Shay looked over at Kelly as they waited for the pizza to be ready. As he had gone to her place to pick her up, they had decided to give Matt and Gabby as much time together as possible, knowing that they would both appreciate pizza and a movie to end the night.

Kelly sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I dunno, I physically he is fine but I just don't know if there is something else going on. He isn't sleeping well at all; I've had to wake him up a few times over the last week. But he seems to be coping all right…" he looked over to Shay, knowing that she had spent more time with Gabby than he had over the last few weeks, "How is Dawson going?"

Shay shrugged, "About the same I think. God I couldn't even image what it would be like, having been shot like that. I know that having Casey in her arms like he she's told me has affected her, says that she dreams about him like that almost every night, that she can't save him…"

Shay laid her head on Kelly's shoulder, they had both almost lost their best friends that day almost three weeks ago, it had scared her. There was always the worry of an injury or death while on shift and that was something that was partly accepted, it was the job they did. But knowing that they had been injured while at breakfast, it terrified her.

"They are going to be all right yeah?" She looked up at him, her head still on his shoulder.

Kelly sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, placing a kiss on her temple, "Yeah they will, they will."

At least he hoped.

It was close to twenty minutes later that they came through the front door of Matt's apartment, laughing about one thing or another but they both stopped in their tracks as they found Matt and Gabby curled onto the couch together, Matt on his back, Gabby on his chest, sleeping.

Shay sighed and smiled as she saw them; happy they had found each other. Sighing she moved towards the kitchen, still hungry from the smell of pizza, she wanted to eat.

* * *

Kelly laughed gently as Shay cracked a joke as they sat in the kitchen, trying to keep quiet but it was clear that they hadn't been as quiet as they thought. "Nice to see you guys waited for us…" They both looked up to see Casey standing in the doorway, his hand resting on his chest, clearly in a little bit of pain.

"Hey man, sorry did we wake you?" Kelly stood slowly, bringing Matt his painkillers and a plate for the pizza, looking over Matt's shoulder, wondering where Gabby was.

Taking the painkiller gladly he swallowed them; "Thanks…Nah it's ok, we need to eat…she's in the bathroom." He moved towards the table, reaching out carefully for the piece of pizza he wanted.

Shay glanced over to Kelly before standing, making her way to find Gabby to make sure she was all right, knowing that thing were a lot harder with one arm in her sling. This left Kelly alone with Matt, "So did you talk to her?"

Matt sighed, Kelly wasn't going to leave it alone until he told him the truth, he could tell. Moving to lean up against the counter, mirroring Kelly's stance he nodded, "Yeah I did. I don't know what scares me the most, the nightmares of her being in my place that day…or that its scaring me so much that she _could_ have been in my place." He shrugged, not wanting to really talk much about it anymore, especially as he heard Gabby and Shay coming back down the hall towards them.

As they turned into the kitchen, Matt glanced back at Kelly before smiling at Gabby, who was now awake, her arm resting by her side, sling in her hands, he reached out for her, their hands clasped together as they sat down, intent on making the best of the evening.

* * *

"You're back!?" Cruz jumped from his chair, running over to Gabby's side almost two weeks later; she had been cleared by the doctor to go back to work and so there she was, standing in front of the people that meant the most to her, happy to have her back. Cruz hugged her tightly, laughing as he lifted her off the ground.

Matt clapped behind her, so happy to see her happy, glad that she was going back to work, hoping he wasn't far off. "If you're happy to have me!" She laughed, being placed back on the ground, she turned to Matt, standing by his side. He placed a kiss on her forehead, she was happy to be back at work, she just wanted him to be back at work with her.

"You're gonna be fine…" He whispered in her ear, causing her to look at him. Oh she wanted to kiss him, she was desperate too but since their talk of nightmares and fears, they had both just been happy to spend time together, but oh she wanted to kiss him. "I promise…I'll come and get you after shift? How about some breakfast?" Her smiled widened as he said this.

He had been given the all clear to drive at the same time she had been given the all clear to go back to work, he was taking full advantage of that fact, they had been spending a lot of time outside of the house, but breakfast was something they hadn't done yet, an unwritten rule between them that they didn't go for breakfast, not just yet.

The bells rung the moment she was going to answer, calling Shay and herself away to a call, leaving Matt to watch her go. "Don't worry Tenant, won't be long until you are back here with us, watching out for her…" Hermann, touched his shoulder, seeing Matt watch the ambo pull away, a look of concern come over his face.

* * *

 **Ok guys, please let me know what you think…I really am doing my best to keep this going.**


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